Reborn
by Meta Lise
Summary: Chapters edited and combined! When two girls get trapped in an ancient Chinese book, one finds that her destiny is to protect the other.
1. Part One: The Adventure Begins

**The Adventure Begins**

**Part One**

"And the story became true, as soon as the first page was turned…" Jamie read aloud from an old book Megyn's father had borrowed from the library to study. He was interested in old stuff like books and basically anything else.

"Interesting," she replied. Jamie almost turned the page when a "Lights out, girls," was heard from the hall.

"'Kay," Megyn called back. "Let's finish tomorrow." Jamie shut the book and they fell into a deep, yet restless, sleep.

A soft breeze from the open window blew the soft-covered book open and turned the first page.

* * *

"Hmm..." Megyn yawned as she woke up, her eyes still closed.

Just Jamie, her best friend, and she were there. Megyn was surprised that Jamie's parents let her come all the way from the United States to Japan to visit her for a year!

She and Jamie were very different. Jamie had long, wavy, dirty blonde hair while Megyn's hair was long, dark and straight, but a little wavy near the ends. Jamie didn't have bangs, but Megyn did. Megyn was shy, but Jamie was outgoing. Both girls had a short temper. Megyn was smarter and more patient, but Jamie was braver and more athletic. Megyn was sixteen and Jamie was seventeen, but only by three months.

Megyn's father worked in the computer business and, about three years ago, got a big promotion. Everyone, including Megyn, was excited, until they learned that they would have to move to Japan.

* * *

"Dad, it's not fair," Megyn cried. "I love it here and all my friends are here. Besides I don't even speak Japanese!"

"I know it's not fair, I know you love it here, I know all your friends are here, and I know that you don't speak Japanese, but you can learn," said her dad, more than slightly annoyed. Megyn had been bugging him all day.

"Hun, I can sympathize with you," said her mom in an attempt to comfort her. "We are all giving up things. It will be better in Japan."

* * *

Megyn opened her eyes to stare at the plain, white ceiling of her room, but...

The girl sat upright and looked around. Jamie was asleep a little ways away, but not for long.

Megyn grabbed her shoulders and shook her.

Jamie woke up rubbing her eyes. "God. I was asleep."

"Jamie, look around."

Jamie let out a surprised gasp as she took Megyn's advice. They weren't in her room anymore. In fact, it didn't look like they were in the Tokyo apartment building either.

After a few moments, Jamie broke the silence. "We can't just sit here all day. Megyn, go find us something to eat."

"Me?" she asked in a squeaky voice. "Why me?"

"Because I'm busy."

"BUSY?! With what?!"

"Sleeping," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Fine. Have a nice nap." _I'm not going to get anywhere by arguing with her. If there is anyone more stubborn than me, it's Jamie._

Megyn walked down the hill they were on to a little village she had seen. She saw a boy outside one of the houses and ran to greet him. The boy wasn't much younger than she was. He was shorter than she was and he had dark teal hair.

"Can I help you?" asked the boy.

"Yeah. Where am I?"

He gave Megyn a funny look. "You are in Hakko Village," he said, still giving her the funny look.

"Where?"

"Juso prefecture."

"Um. Where is that?"

"_Konan_."

"Okay. Hmmm..." _This isn't going to help me at all. I don't know where Konan is. I wonder if they have a telephone so I could call Mom. No, that's ridiculous. This looks like ancient China, or something. I'm so retarded._

"Chuuei, what is it?" asked a voice from inside the house.

"Some funny looking girl, Father," said the boy who must be Chuuei. She scowled. 'Funny looking girl?'

"Bring her in," said the voice.

"Come in," said Chuuei.

The house was very small. It had to be made of mud bricks or something. There was an old man sitting at the table and three children, younger than Chuei, hiding behind him.

"Good afternoon, young lady," said the old man.

"Good afternoon," Megyn said shyly. She smiled as the children tried again to stay hidden.

"May I ask your name?" asked the old man.

"Megyn," she responded.

"So, are you from the other world?" asked the old man, as he looked her over.

"The other world?" she asked. "I'm not from Konan, if that is what you mean. I don't even know where Konan is."

The old man paused for a minute, as if thinking, before saying; "I would be honored if you would stay with us tonight. My oldest son will be here tomorrow, and he can take you back to the capital with him."

"No, thank you, but I have to get back to my friend who is sleeping on the hill," she said although she wished she could stay with them to earn the trust of the three cute children.

"The hill? By the forest? Chuuei!" he said hurriedly.

"I can handle it, Father." He turned to Megyn and put a knife in her hand.

"Hey! What's this for?" she squeaked.

"Just c'mon," said a slightly annoyed Chuuei.

"Wait for me!" the girl called to him as he ran at top speed the way she had come.

The hill was not very far away. On the way towards the hill, Chuuei told her that the hill was a very dangerous place to be. He told her about a vicious animal that lived in the forest that was very protective of his territory. Anyone who went in his territory rarely came out again. No one lived within a quarter-mile of the hill.

As they neared the top of the hill, they began to hear screams. _Please be all right, Jamie_, Megyn prayed as they ran.

Just before they reached the top of the hill, Chuuei charged ahead of her. She reached the top just in time to see Chuuei being thrown against a tree by a four-legged creature holding Jamie down by her shoulders. _Now _I_ have to save everyone. Shit!_

Megyn's grip on the knife tightened. She began to charge; the knife held in front of her.

As she neared the beast, she raised the knife high above her head. She brought the knife down onto the creature and felt the knife cut deep into the thing, blood spraying her face. The monster let out a horrible cry of pain and swung its head around in an attempt to remove the knife. A great surge of pain ran through her as the monster hit the back of her head. Then...nothing.

* * *

"Meggie? Megyn wake up," Jamie ordered. Megyn opened her eyes.

"Ah, I'm so glad you're awake," said the old man. "You were unconscious for quite awhile, and we began to worry."

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said, still dazed.

"You really need to lose some weight. Chuuei and I had to carry you all the way back here, and damn are you heavy," said Jamie with a grin.

"Well, that's what you get for being a lazy son of a—," Megyn retorted.

She was cut off by a, "So, she woke up."

She spun her head towards the source of the voice. A boy, about their age, was standing in the doorway with Chuuei. He looked exactly like Chuuei in every way, except taller. He and Chuuei could have been twins if it wasn't for the four or five year age difference.

"My father said that you and Jamie needed to go to the capital," said the boy.

She nodded shyly. "Who are you?"

"I am Tamahome," he said puffing out his chest. "Me, Tarzan. You, Jane" was the first thing to pop into her head.

"You two do ride horses, don't you?" Tamahome asked.

"I own three horses myself," stated Jamie matter-of-factly.

"Well…I've never actually ridden a horse before, but I'm willing to learn. It can't be that hard," Megyn mumbled.

* * *

"Thank you so much for your hospitality," the girls called in unison.

"Our house is always open to you," the man called back as they rode off.

Jamie rode beside Tamahome and Megyn. Megyn had to sit behind Tamahome because her riding lesson had been disastrous.

* * *

"Hell no am I getting on that thing," Megyn screamed. "It's huge!"

"C'mon Megs," coaxed Jamie. "It's only a pony."

"Look, Megyn, it won't bite," said Tamahome petting its snout; then it bit his finger.

She turned her back to them with crossed arms.

The next thing she knew, she was being hoisted onto the beast.

"Oh, God," she said and grabbed the horse around the throat. She nearly choked the poor beast to death.

"See Megs, it's not so bad," said Jamie.

"Not so bad?" she squeaked. "It's terrifying! Get me off! I demand it!"

* * *

Jamie refused to let Megyn ride behind her after she had seen what she did to the pony. So, Megyn was stuck behind Tamahome.

_The forest is so peaceful in the afternoon._

Megyn noticed that Jamie began to gallop ahead. Tamahome followed her example and began to gallop as well.

"Holy shit!" Megyn shrieked as she squeezed Tamahome's waist tighter. They slowed to a halt. She released her grip around Tamahome's abdomen. A deep gasp for air came from ahead and heavy panting followed.

"Oh…um…sorry, Tamahome," Megyn said sheepishly. "Sometime my own strength amazes me."

"No…kidding," gasped Tamahome.

Jamie came out from behind her stopped horse and burst out laughing. "Tamahome the look on your face…priceless," said Jamie between laughing fits. "And you, Megs! Hilarious!"

* * *

After that incident, Megyn walked beside Jamie's horse in front.

After a moment of uncomfortable silence, Jamie said, "How long until we get to the capital?"

Tamahome looked around before saying, "A little more than a day. Why are you going there anyway?"

Jamie and Megyn looked at each other and shrugged. "We don't know," said Jamie. "It's where your father said we should go."

"You don't know?!" Tamahome exclaimed. "How could you not know?!"

"We've only been here three days, and your father knows more about this place than we do," Jamie argued.

Not listening to their argument, Megyn asked, "Do you know where we can get new clothes?"

"Oh, yeah. We're still wearing our pajamas, aren't we?" said Jamie, blushing at the sudden realization of her 'My Little Pony' pajamas. Megyn wore a simple red football jersey and gray boxer shorts.

"We'll get clothes when we get to the capital. There is a town we'll coming up in a few minutes. We can stop for lunch," said Tamahome.

They arrived in the town a few minutes later, just like Tamahome had said. They rode, or in Megyn's case walked, to what seemed to be the only tavern in town. They tied up the horses.

"You know that you are going to have to pay for this, Tamahome," Megyn said.

Tamahome cringed. "Yeah, I know."

Tamahome opened the door and walked in; Jamie and Megyn followed. They sat down and the waitress quickly served them, as they were the only ones there.

"What can I get you?" asked the waitress sweetly.

"I'll have my usual," said Tamahome as he smiled at the waitress.

"I'll have what he's having, please," Megyn said wondering what exactly was Tamahome's usual, but willing to try anything.

"Me, too," chimed in Jamie.

"Your order will be right out," said the waitress as she turned toward the kitchen.

"You must come here a lot to have a usual order," Megyn said.

"Yeah," said Tamahome.

"What is your usual anyway?" asked Jamie.

"I don't care, as long as it's food," Megyn pronounced.

"Guess you're right," said Jamie. "I'm hungry whatever it is."

"Big surprise," Megyn said sarcastically.

"Hey! What was that supposed to mean?" asked Jamie.

"Nothing. It's just that you're a p-i-g, pig," she quoted from _Animal House_.

"What?! A PIG?!" asked Jamie, steaming.

"Oh, never mind," Megyn said.

Jamie began to calm down when the food came. They ate silently. Well, except for Jamie's munching.

When they finished, Tamahome paid the bill, and they left. They untied the horses, and started on their way.

When they finally stopped for the night, Megyn and Jamie were exhausted. For dinner, Tamahome caught them some fish. They ate (sans Megyn) and went to bed. Megyn fell asleep almost immediately.


	2. Part Two: The Priestess and her Seishi

**The Priestess and Her Seishi**

**Part Two**

Megyn yawned and sat up. _Wait a minute. This is much too comfortable to be rock._ When her eyes came into focus, she gasped. She was in a room, on a bed, nude. She quickly covered herself with the sheet and looked around. The room was filled with clouds. There was a door at the far end of the room. She couldn't see her clothes anywhere, so she wrapped the sheet around her body several times and secured it with the hair tie that held her hair in a bun. Megyn walked to the door; she made sure to look down to make sure the sheet was covering everything. She reached for the door-pull.

Before she could reach it, the door opened and hit her squarely on the head. _Shit! Not again!_ was her last thought before she fell unconscious, again.

* * *

"Wake up, no da," said a far away voice.

Megyn groaned as she opened her eyes. "My head."

"Are you all right, no da?"

Megyn was immediately aware of a man kneeling beside her. He had light blue hair and his bangs swooped above his head. His face looked strange. It was happy, yet very concerned.

"Yeah," she responded. "Just a little dizzy."

She tried to get up. She walked a little ways over towards the bed but stumbled over the sheet.

The man caught her before she could hit the floor and do more damage to her brain than she already had. She groaned.

"You should lie down, no da," said the stranger as he scooped her up and laid her on the bed.

"Who are you? And where are we?" she asked of the strange man.

"I am Chichiri, and we are in Taiitsu-kun's palace," said the man now smiling genuinely.

"I'm Megyn, but what happened to my clothes?" Megyn said.

"Nice to meet you, Megyn, and here are your new clothes," said Chichiri. "Your old ones were too conspicuous," he explained.

"I'll leave you to change. I'll be waiting outside to take you to Taiitsu-kun." With that he closed the door behind him.

Megyn unraveled herself from the sheet, and slowly got dressed. _There is something about Chichiri. I just can't place it. What's wrong with me? I couldn't be attracted to him. Could I? No. Definitely not. He's kinda weird. _She'd just put her shoes on, and walked to the door.

Chichiri held out his arm when she walked out. The brunette smiled and graciously accepted it.

They walked down a maze of corridors. Finally, they entered a large room with pink bubbles all over it.

_Weird._

Tamahome and Jamie were sitting on the floor in front of an old woman. Tamahome had a bright red handprint on his cheek. Megyn nearly burst out laughing. _Someone bitch-slapped him pretty hard._

The old woman was floating a foot, or so, off the ground.

"That is Taiitsu-kun," whispered Chichiri nodding towards the old woman. "Don't insult her. It's dangerous."

Taiitsu-kun looked at them when they entered. Megyn sat beside Jamie.

"Ah, good. You're finally here. What took so long, Chichiri?" asked the old woman.

"She hit her head, and I didn't want to call the Nyan-Nyans, no da," he said, bowing.

"I understand," she responded. She looked Megyn up and down. "I'll start with you," she said. "Stand in front of me."

Megyn stood and walked over to where she was floating. She bowed her head.

After a few minutes, Taiitsu-kun said, "Hmm… So no one knows, huh?"

"No one knows what?" Megyn raised her head. She started to panic.

"That you have the power to see the past. Ah, and telekinesis too. Impressive," she said.

"Yes. No one knew," the girl said. She sighed, relieved in a way, before continuing. "I didn't want to be considered a freak. I was scared. I couldn't control my powers." She hung her head. Jamie was gaping at her. She hadn't known. Not even Megyn's parents had known.

"You may sit down," she said. "Jamie." Megyn walked back to sit beside Tamahome.

After a minute, Taiitsu-kun said, "You don't have any powers."

"What?!" replied Jamie.

"Well, you have the potential to become a very good martial artist," Taiitsu-kun said. "You need practice. Tamahome will teach you."

"Oh," said Jamie. "Take lessons from Tama-homeboy? You must be joking."

"You don't want me to smack you too," said Taiitsu-kun. That shut Jamie up. "Now I guess I have to choose which one of you will take on the task."

"Task?" Megyn asked.

"Yes. One of you must become the Priestess of Suzaku," Taiitsu-kun replied.

"Who is Suzaku?" asked Jamie.

"Suzaku is the God of Konan," piped in Tamahome.

"I WAS TALKING!!" yelled Taiitsu-kun at Tamahome as he cowered in a corner.

"What is the task?" Megyn asked shyly.

"You have to perform a ceremony to call Suzaku," Taiitsu-kun said. "But first you have to find all of the Suzaku seishi."

"What are seishi?" Jamie asked.

"The seishi are warriors that protect the Priestess on her journey. They have glowing red symbols on their body when their energy focused." Megyn's mouth dropped open. _So that's what…_ She continued, "There are seven. Two are already here."

"Who?" asked Jamie, puzzled.

"Chichiri and Tamahome," Taiitsu-kun said.

Jamie looked Megyn and both girls burst out laughing; Megyn laughed from both surprise and relief.

"Chichiri I can believe, but Tamahome..."Megyn said as she burst into another fit of laughter.

Tamahome glared at the girls.

"What's so funny about me being a seishi?" yelled Tamahome, fuming.

"Nothing," said Jamie trying, unsuccessfully, to hold back her smile.

"Now I must choose," said Taiitsu-kun firmly. They immediately stopped trying to annoy Tamahome and looked at her.

_She wants me to be the Priestess, but then Jamie has to go back. She doesn't know. Why can't she see it?_

"No!" Megyn said sternly. "I can't do it, but you can't send Jamie back. We're a team."

Everyone looked taken aback, but Taiitsu-kun just smiled. "Good. I was hoping for a response."

"You mean you really were speaking to me?"

Taiitsu-kun nodded.

"Good. I thought it was just schizophrenia."

"Now why can't you become priestess?"

"I don't want the job. I want Jamie to have it." Jamie was stunned. "I'm not…qualified for it."

"I guess I'll have do it," said Jamie. "I will only do it if Megyn and I stay together."

Everyone in the room fell silent. They awaited her answer.

"Very well. You may both stay," Taiitsu-kun finally said. "Now, Megyn, go to train with Chichiri."

Megyn nodded and followed Chichiri outside. She watched his feet as they walked. It felt like it took forever.

* * *

After about a half-hour of warming up, she had to test her powers. "Okay," said Chichiri. "I am thinking of something. What am I thinking?"

"Isn't that a little childish?" Megyn asked.

"Yes. It's simple, no da. That is why we are doing it."

"Alright," she said skeptically. She closed her eyes. The first thing she saw was a memory of Chichiri's.

* * *

"I'm sorry," said a girl sitting on the floor, "but I can't marry you." Anger and sadness welled up inside of him.

"Hikou? I thought that I could trust both of you. No. I did trust you," said Chichiri.

That night the girl died in a terrible flood.

Afterwards, all of the anger that was inside of him was unleashed on his best friend, Hikou.

The water rose fast. Hikou slipped. He grabbed his friend's hand. Out of the corner of his eye, Chichiri saw a log coming straight towards him.

When it hit him, he instinctively grabbed his face. His friend fell into the flooded river.

"Save me, Houjun!" called Hikou. Moments later, Hikou's lifeless body floated to the surface.

Chichiri sobbed uncontrollably. His bride-to-be and his best friend were gone. His left eye was a reminder of this and it too was gone.

* * *

People stared as he walked past. They didn't stare at him; they stared at where his eye. He could hear people whisper as he passed. He didn't like people staring at him. "How grotesque." he heard as he walked. He hung his head and tried to cover his eye.

* * *

"Oh, Chichiri," Megyn said sinking to her knees. "Terrible."

"You saw it, no da?" he asked. He sounded scared.

"Yes," she said. "I'm sorry. I can't control it. I can only see the past, not the present."

"Don't worry about it, no da," he said brushing it off.

"Is that why you wear the mask?" she persisted. "That is a mask, right?"

"Yes."

"Take the mask off," she said, and then added, "Please?"

"Are you sure you won't think it's disgusting?" he asked, suddenly serious.

"Positive."

"Okay," he said as he slowly pulled that mask away from is face.

When it was off, Megyn gasped. He was very handsome. She didn't even notice the scar keeping his left eye closed.

"I thought you said that you weren't going to be disgusted."

"I'm not disgusted at all," Megyn said, blushing. "It's just…umm…you look so…never mind."

"You like my looks?" he asked slyly.

"It doesn't matter… Never mind," she said and blushed more. "Anyway, I promise not to tell anyone about you."

"Thank you, but let's keep working, you know," he said. "Now, we should work on your telekinetic powers."

He whistled.

Out of one of the bubbles popped out a little girl. She had turquoise hair done up in odangos with a braid coming out of the center of each one. At the end of each braid was a golden ball. She was wearing a red and pink outfit with a gold sash and red shoes.

"Kawaii!" Megyn squealed.

"This is a Nyan-Nyan," said Chichiri. He turned his attention to the Nyan-Nyan; "You, stand still, please."

Megyn walked over to the Nyan-Nyan and knelt beside her. The brunette laid her hand on the Nyan-Nyan's head. "Ready?" she asked.

"Yes, ma'am!" Nyan-Nyan replied happily.

_Ma'am?_ "Um, good." She stepped back.

Megyn tried hard to concentrate. She looked up to see the Nyan-Nyan laughing and rolling on the ground clutching her stomach. Chichiri and Megyn laughed as they watched her. She looked at Chichiri and he smiled. _I'm glad that he took the mask off._

* * *

It went like that for a few days. The only thing that was different was that Megyn constantly had a crowd of Nyan-Nyans around her. Apparently, the first Nyan-Nyan liked the concept of tickling so much that she told her sisters. The crowd got bigger every day.

Chichiri had taken a liking to Megyn.

While he was around her, he would take his mask off and blush a lot. He was falling in love with her.

Megyn liked him too, but not in the same way. To her, he was only a good friend, teacher, and mentor.

Tamahome didn't like that Chichiri was falling in love with Megyn. He was like Jamie and Megyn's big brother. He didn't want anyone to hurt them.

* * *

Taiitsu-kun called everyone into the main chamber. Tamahome and Chichiri sat on one side of her and Jamie and Megyn on the other.

Taiitsu-kun cleared her throat and began, "It is the end of your stay here. I will be transporting you back to where you were."

Megyn smiled. "Your belongings," said the old woman as their luggage appeared. "Now, it's time." She raised her hands above her head.

"Wait," Megyn called. She ran over and hugged Taiitsu-kun. "Thanks. I'll miss you."

Megyn ran back to her companions who stared at her with disbelief.

Taiitsu-kun's old hands rose once more. Just before they disappeared, Megyn could swear she saw the old woman smile.

Suddenly, they were, as Taiitsu-kun had said, back from where they had been taken. Their horses had also been sent back with them.

Chichiri insisted that they push forward to the capital. He hopped on Jamie's horse and helped her up in front of him.

"I don't want you to get hurt, Priestess, no da," he said. Jamie was slightly annoyed, but didn't argue.

Megyn looked up at Tamahome. "Aren't you going to help me up?" she asked him.

He laughed. "No way! I'm not letting you up here! Don't think I forgot about last time already."

"Fine," she scoffed. "They're leaving us behind. Look how far ahead they are. Let's hurry."

"Fine," he said and galloped ahead of her.

_He's so dead!_

"Hey! Expect a shoe in your face when I catch up!"


	3. Part Three: Meeting the Emperor

**Meeting the Emperor**

**Part Three**

Tamahome had gotten the group lost. What really made Megyn mad was that they were only a few miles away from the capital.

"Tamahome, you ditz," she screamed at him. "Why'd ya have to go and get us lost when we were so close?!" She had been yelling at him for quite awhile now. By this time, he was huddled at the foot of a nearby tree.

"Da, Megyn?" said Chichiri. "You should stop scaring Tamahome, you know."

Before she could bite his head off too, she heard a voice nearby. She ran towards the voice leaving a rather shaken Tamahome behind. She saw a group of men on horses and walked up to the one that seemed in charge. She bowed.

"Excuse me, sir. My companions and I have an urgent message for his highness, the emperor. We have lost our way. Could you please direct us to the palace?" She looked up at the man. He was obviously a noble. He had long brown hair and beautiful brown eyes.

"Well, sir," said one of the other men. "If you have a message for the emperor, then tell him."

"I would if I could find the palace," she retorted, trying to stay calm.

"But this is-," said one of the men, but he was cut off.

"Let her speak," commanded the brown-haired gentleman. "Please tell me the message."

"Pardon me, but how do I know that I can trust you, sir?"

"Because if the message is of no importance, I shall hardly go bother the emperor with such trivialities."

"Our message is," Megyn hesitated, "that we have found the Priestess of Suzaku." The men whispered frantically.

"Kindly bring your party here," said the brown-haired noble. "We will take you to the palace at once."

Thanking him, Megyn bowed and ran back to where everyone was trying to figure out why she ran off in the first place.

"Come on," she urged. "We're going to the palace. Don't ask questions. Hurry up."

She led them to where the men were waiting. When they got there, Tamahome and Chichiri dropped their horses' leads and kneeled. Jamie and Megyn looked at them.

"Bow you idiots!" yelled Tamahome.

"Idiots?!" the girls yelled back.

"Do we have to beat you up again?" Megyn asked.

"Calling me, the Priestess of Suzaku, an idiot," said Jamie shaking her head mockingly. "Suzaku will smite you for that."

All of the men whispered excitedly. _Why are they so excited?_

"Let's go to the palace now, please," Megyn said. The noble offered his hand to her. "Thanks," she said as he pulled her in front of him. She glanced at Chichiri. He looked annoyed at the noble. _Kawaii. He's jealous._

It only took them a few minutes to arrive at the palace. As soon as they entered, the nobleman Megyn was riding with disappeared. He reappeared momentarily, but now wearing the royal robes. It took Jamie and Megyn a millisecond to put two and two together. _That's why Chichiri and Tamahome bowed. He's the emperor._

When the horse shuffled backwards, Megyn realized where she was and closed her eyes. _I am not on a horse. I am not on a horse_, she chanted to herself. A hand touched hers. She looked and saw Chichiri offering to help her off the horse. He didn't know about her problem with horses. She grasped his hand as he helped her down. "Thanks." He smiled at her. His smile turned to a look of slight pain. She let go of his hand. "Sorry."

They all bowed as the emperor neared them. "Do not trouble yourselves with formalities," he said. "I am Hotohori, Emperor of Konan, and fellow sichiseishi. You will be shown to your rooms to refresh. Then we will eat dinner."

"Thank you," they said. Servants led them to their rooms. Tamahome's room was first, then Jenna's, then Chichiri's, and then Megyn's. The rooms were very nice. Megyn's room consisted of a bed, a desk and chair, a changing screen, and a chest.

There was a knock on Megyn's door. "Come in." A servant girl walked in carrying some clothes. She bowed. Megyn waved it off.

"The emperor wishes for you to accept these clothes."

"Thanks." She handed Megyn the pile of clothes, bowed, and left.

* * *

Chichiri walked towards Megyn's room and knocked on the door. "Just a minute," came the call from inside. He could hear footsteps nearing the door. The door opened and she looked at him. She seemed surprised. "I thought I would come to pick you up, no da," Chichiri said cheerily.

"Thank you, Chichiri," she said looking up at him. She smiled. Chichiri held out his arm and she took it.

They walked towards the dining room. "You look very beautiful tonight, no da." He looked down at her. Her dark hair was out of its usual bun and was gently brushed so it draped over her left shoulder. She wore a black silk dress embroidered with red phoenixes.

"Thanks," she said looking at her feet as they walked. Her ears and face went from their normal rosy color to a deep shade of magenta.

* * *

"You know what, Jamie?" Tamahome asked as they followed Megyn and Chichiri towards the dining room.

"Hmm?"

"I think of you and Megyn as part of my family, my little sisters."

Jamie looked at him, stunned. Then she smiled. "We can't be like your family. Your family adores you. We, on the other hand, just tease you and beat you up."

"Yeah, but still…" he said sheepishly, lowering his head.

"Oh, c'mon," she said, punching him playfully on the shoulder. "You know we love ya. You're like our big brother…who we tend to beat up occasionally, but hey. You've been taking care of us almost since we first arrived in Konan and your family when you weren't there." She squeezed his hand and smiled up at him.

* * *

"I'm sorry we kept you waiting," Megyn said as they entered the dining room.

"Please sit," said the emperor. Jamie and Megyn sat on either side of the emperor. Chichiri made a move to sit beside Megyn, but Tamahome was faster and sat down first. He eyed Chichiri suspiciously. Chichiri walked around to the other side of the table and sat next to Jamie, but all the while he was looking at Megyn.

The emperor watched this whole exchange carefully. He coughed to get their attention. They turned to him. He looked at Megyn. She bent her head down as she felt her face get hot. _Jeez! That was embarrassing._ She looked up again as he began to speak.

"You," he began, looking at Jamie, "are the Priestess of Suzaku?"

Jamie had her mouth full, already, and muttered something incomprehensible. She blushed and swallowed. "Well, sort of. Taiitsu-kun said that Megyn was supposed to be the priestess, but she didn't want it. So she gave me the job," Jamie said. Hotohori looked at Megyn, shocked.

"Why did you not want to be priestess?" he asked.

"It wasn't that I didn't want to be priestess. It was...well...umm..." She nervously looked around at everyone. "Jamie has something...a quality, sort of, that you need to be priestess. I don't have that quality. Well, it's not really a quality at all. It's more something I have that Jamie doesn't. I'm just surprised that Taiitsu-kun didn't notice it," she finally said. They looked at her. "It's nothing important," she muttered hoping they would drop the subject.

Luckily for her, Tamahome got the message and changed the subject. She gave him an appreciative smile. He hid a smile and winked back.

* * *

There was a knock at the door. "Megyn?" It was Jamie. Megyn didn't especially want to talk, but it was Jamie.

"It's open." The door opened and Jamie peeked in. "Hey. What are you doing up so late?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?" she asked. She looked like she wanted to say something, but didn't know how to bring it up.

"What is it?" Megyn asked. _What could it be that she wants to talk about? We can talk about nearly anything together. Yeah, nearly anything._

"Well, I thought that we could chat about...stuff," she mumbled. She sat down next to Megyn on the bed.

"What kind of 'stuff'?"

"Well...um...I dunno," she stuttered. "Well, for starters, why...why didn't you become the priestess, like Taiitsu-kun wanted?"

"It's like I explained it. Nothing more."

"What is the 'quality' thing that I don't have?" Jamie persisted. _God, she won't give up!_ Megyn was silent. "TELL ME!!" she screamed, angrily, slamming her fists down beside her.

"Jamie!" Megyn said, flabbergasted. "I...I...I just...can't," she replied softly.

"WHY THE HELL NOT?!"

"James, be quiet, you'll wake the whole palace."

"I WON'T BE QUIET UNTIL YOU TELL ME!" she continued to scream. "I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE PALACE! THE EMPEROR AND THE WHOLE DAMN PALACE CAN WAKE UP AND KILL EACH OTHER OFF FOR ALL I CARE!"

Just then the doors to Megyn's room flew open. Chichiri, Tamahome, the emperor, several advisors, and a woman were standing on the other side of the doorway.

* * *

The first thing Nuriko saw when the door opened was a blond-haired girl yelling at a brown-haired girl. It surprised him that a girl so small could be that loud. They all filed inside the room.

"What is going on here?" demanded the young emperor. Nuriko sighed inwardly as he spoke. _Oh, sire. You are so commanding._

The blond girl turned to them. Her face was red, though he could not tell if it was from yelling or embarrassment. "Forgive me, your highness. We were in the middle of a heated discussion," replied the blond girl hoarsely.

"Discussion?" asked Tamahome, or so Nuriko was told by one of the serving girls. "It sounded more like you were having a cat fight to me."

"It was nothing," said the dark-haired girl standing up.

"Are you sure?" asked the man with blue hair.

The brown-haired girl's eyes locked onto Nuriko's. It felt like she looked straight into his heart. Her eyes began to water, as if she was going to cry. Instead of crying she burst out laughing, which brought on tears of its own. Then, in front of the beautiful emperor himself, she snorted. She fell back onto the bed holding her stomach. Everyone stared at her fit of laughter.

"What's wrong now?" asked Tamahome.

"I think I need some air," she said, giggling. She stood up and walked towards the door. She grabbed Nuriko's arm as she passed. "You can come with me," she said pulling him along. "So I don't get lost." Everyone stared as he was dragged away. He knew that he could easily break her grip, but he let her lead him to a secluded part of the garden; he was curious.

When they were far enough away, he broke free of her grip. "What is it you wish of me, miss?" he asked trying to sound sweet.

She looked him up and down. "You sure did pull it off, Kourin, or should I call you Ryuuen, or, better yet, Nuriko."

Nuriko was dumbstruck. "How...how did you find out?" he stuttered.

"I'm sorry, but when our eyes met I was able to see so much about you. I didn't mean to."

"I would rather you not tell anyone."

"Don't worry! Your secret is safe with me. I won't tell a soul," she said tracing an 'X' over her heart with her finger.

"What's your name?" he asked. He was curious about how much else the girl knew about him.

"My name is Megyn. Umm...what should I call you?"

"Please, call me Kourin. Only you know about me here."

"How did you get to the palace?" asked Megyn.

"I thought you knew everything about me?" Nuriko said teasingly.

"Well, I only saw bits and pieces of your life."

"After Kourin died, I became her—you saw that right? I felt that she would still be alive if I became her. A few days ago, I got a message that I was to join the imperial harem. I had just arrived before the other girl started to rant and rave."

"The other girl is Jamie; she's the priestess of Suzaku," said Megyn. Her voice was completely void of emotion.

"You mean that other girl, Jamie, is the priestess of Suzaku," he said bewildered.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" She sounded annoyed.

"It's just...someone that has...such a powerful…presence," he said still trying to get over the shock.

"Yeah, I know. She's annoyingly loud and obnoxious."

"So, you won't tell anyone?" Nuriko was worried. _What if she told someone?_

"I told you once. I swear that I will not tell anyone."

"Thank you. I'll see you sometime then. Bye, Megyn," he waved to her and walked off towards his room. _Boy, was I out of character. I never act so…nice. I've never been so open before. Will she keep her promise?_

* * *

"See ya later, Kourin," Megyn called after him…uh…it. She couldn't help humming as she walked back to her room. _Kourin was really kinda nice. He…uh…I mean she…IT! Maybe I shouldn't have made that promise. I mean a seishi being so close and only me knowing. Shouldn't I say something? No. I'll wait until the time comes._


	4. Part Four: At the Palace

**At the Palace**

**Part Four**

They'd been in the palace for several days. Chichiri had been training Megyn. Since they didn't have Nyan-Nyans to practice on, they secretly used Tamahome. One time he was talking to one of the "women" in the harem; it was Kourin. "She" asked him if he thought "she" was beautiful. Megyn started to make him laugh which the "woman" didn't find very funny at all. She lost count of how many times she'd gotten Tamahome bitch-slapped.

Tamahome also started to teach her martial arts. She was not that bad. She was better at high kicks and punches than, let's say, horseback riding. Since she had been doing double the training, she'd been tired. She had even been too tired to eat on some occasions.

* * *

It was about the end of the second week that Megyn was walking by Hotohori-sama's room. She heard a muffled noise coming from inside. She laid her ear gently against the thin door. He wasn't talking nor doing anything else for that matter. She gently rapped on the door. There was silence. "Hotohori?" she asked softly dropping the proper suffix. "It's Megyn. May I come in?"

"Yes, please," came the muffled response. With that, she slowly opened the door and peeked in. Hotohori was sitting on his bed in a robe. His eyes, even from that distance, were puffy from wet tears.

"Are you alright?" His eyes were wide. He looked completely unlike the Hotohori that she knew. This Hotohori was a small fearful child, not regal or tall.

"I am well. What is it you want?" His voice cracked.

Megyn walked over to the bed and plopped down without waiting for an invitation. "You are not well. Tell me what is wrong," she pressed. She put her arm around his shoulders.

"I shouldn't tell you this, but…"

"Tell me. It will be all right." She stroked his hair gently.

"Well, it seems that Kutou has found out that we have found the priestess. They are looking for the Priestess of Seiryuu…"

"Seiryuu?"

"Seiryuu is Kutou's god."

"All right. I'm sorry. Go on."

"If they are looking for their priestess, then they might find you—you _are_ from the other world after all. If that happens, they might declare war on us. They have wanted our land for many years. In fact, they might declare war on us anyway. I do not know if I will be able to handle this situation. What will happen if they wage war on us? Their military is far better than ours. What should happen if we lose? We need to gather the rest of the seishi and summon Suzaku."

Megyn felt so bad for him at that moment. He was always so calm and collected on the outside. The poor man was like this on the inside all along. "You will always have our help." He looked up at her. "We are your friends. We will always be there for you. You can always feel free to talk to us about anything and ask for our help. You aren't running this country alone anymore. And when Jamie summons Suzaku, I'll have her wish for eternal peace in Konan, I promise."

"Thank you," he said graciously. He sat up tall again. He leaned down and hugged Megyn. "Thank you. This means so much to me."

"Stop." She pushed him away. "We're friends, right?" He nodded. "That's what friends do." Megyn got up and walked to the door. Before she opened the door, she said, "We should have more talks like this. See you later. Oh, by the way, you need a woman in your life. I would recommend Kourin from your harem-thing." She opened the door and walked out. Slowly, she shut the door behind her. She walked down the hall. Hotohori seemed different somehow. She was glad she talked with him. _Wait. Shit. Kourin's a guy. Oh, well. At least he's a pretty guy._

* * *

That night at dinner, Hotohori told them that they would need to leave to find the other seishi soon. "I do not want this issue with Kutou to escalate," he told them. "You must find the rest of the seishi. We have three, including me, and only four more still unaccounted for."

"Okay," said Jamie. "That can't be too hard, can it?"

"Well," began Chichiri, "it will be harder than you think, no da. We have no way of knowing where in the country the seishi might be. They may not even be in this country."

"That's true," Hotohori continued. "I will be sure to outfit you with everything you will need for the journey, and…"

"Wait," Megyn interrupted. "Aren't you coming with us?"

"Unfortunately, as the emperor of this nation, it is my duty to stay in the palace, and I will be unable accompany you."

She stood up, slamming her fists down, to emphasize her words. "But, it is also your duty as a seishi to protect the priestess!"

"I don't need to be protected, Megyn," replied Jamie offhandedly.

She then turned towards Jamie. "Everyone sitting at this table was born to protect the priestess, you. It is our destiny as well as yours."

* * *

Megyn awakened to a hard jab in the stomach, courtesy of Jamie. To return the favor, she swung her arm up from beneath the covers and tried to smack Jamie across the face. She opened her eyes and sat up.

"Get dressed. It's time for breakfast."

"Already?" she said, throwing off the covers and hopping out of bed. She grabbed one of the outfits that Hotohori had had made for her. She changed behind the screen. Emerging, she stuffed some clothes in a saddlebag because she remembered they were leaving the palace.

Jamie was sitting on the bed when a servant girl came in to see if they had any bags for the journey. Megyn gave the girl hers, and, as she had already gotten Jamie's, she left.

"Hotohori said that he had something to give to us. Going away presents," Jamie burst out. Jamie was like that. She loved getting presents. 'Gimme, gimme, gimme' was her philosophy. Megyn, on the other hand, was always embarrassed when she got gifts. She never knew how to react, so it was always kind of unnerving.

They strode out of her room, walking towards the dining room. They saw Tamahome walking toward them.

"Sheesh. You guys are so slow. I was sent to get you guys. Hotohori must be getting impatient."

"Well, excuse me, Mr. Greedy Money-grubber. Maybe I'm just a tad bit slower than his excellency's high standards," Megyn said haughtily.

"Excuse her. She must just be hungry," Jamie said, pushing Megyn ahead.

"Damn right! I haven't had time to eat in…" She did the math in her head. "Well, it was a long time. I am ravenous. Move." She pushed Tamahome aside and ran to the dining room. "Breakfast, here I come!"

She rushed into the dining room and plopped into a chair next to Chichiri. Almost as soon as the plate of food was set before her, the food was gone. Hotohori and Chichiri just looked from Megyn to the plate and back to Megyn.

"It's good to have a healthy appetite, you know," said Chichiri, smiling.

Hotohori smiled too. "I agree." Jamie and Tamahome walked in and sat down. "Now, back to the matter at hand. Which way are you planning to go?"

"I thought we would head towards the mountain, you know. I admit, they are dangerous, but the bandits are strong, too. Maybe someone will no something or someone might be…" He trailed off, not wanting to voice everyone's hope.

Hotohori nodded. "That is a good plan. I've readied three horses and all the necessary supplies." By then, everyone knew of Megyn's fear of horses.

"Ah, yes," Hotohori said when Jamie began drumming her fingers on the table. "The gifts." He pulled out twin, golden wrapped, red silk bowed boxes.

Jamie tore the paper off. Megyn carefully untied the bow and ripped the paper just enough to slide the box out.

"Wow! It's beautiful," Jamie exclaimed.

Megyn slowly opened the slim wooden box. Inside was a simple dagger with a leather sheath. She lifted the dagger out and turned it in her hands. Engraved on the sheath in the ancient letters of the world's language was:

Megyn

May this dagger

keep you safe.

Hotohori

"This is so kind of you, Hotohori-sama. But, do you think we'll actually need this?" Megyn asked.

"Let us hope not, but I want to keep you and Jamie as safe as possible." Hotohori smiled.


	5. Part Five: On the Road Again

**On the Road Again**

**Part Five**

Megyn and Chichiri rode a blue-gray horse, which Megyn dubbed Marahoop. Marahoop was the blue horse with yellow eyes, mane, tail, and hooves and white wings that her father had made up when he told stories about Musha and Pusha and Tam and Ram. They were fictional twin girls and boys, respectively, who went on adventures and were friends with faeries and elves. He told her and her brother these stories when they were little.

Tamahome rode a chocolate colored horse named Shunsoku. Jamie sat upon a beautiful ginger-colored horse she named Ginger bear. No one knew how she came up with the name. Whenever someone asked she would blush and not answer.

They trotted silently along towards the mountains. Megyn sat in front of Chichiri with eyes clenched. Chichiri had tried for a long time to get her to relax, but failed in every attempt.

* * *

They rode for several hours, every so often passing through a small village, but now there was only barren land. In the distance, they saw majestic mountains rise up; they were draped with trees and wrapped with fog.

A growl from Jamie's stomach broke the tranquility. "I'm hungry," she proclaimed. "Can we eat now? Huh?" she asked a little too eagerly. She bounced on her horse, waiting for an answer.

Megyn sighed, exasperated. Chichiri pointed to the beginning of the trees at the base of the mountain ahead. "I think I remember a village a little beyond there, no da?"

The trees looked like they were still forever away. Jamie sighed. "Is it at all possible to get there in less than a century?"

"Of course it is," Tamahome said. "The problem is…" He pointed at Megyn. "…we have that."

"Meggie," Jamie whined. "Can we please go faster than a slug?" The other girl shook her head.

"Come on, Megyn," Tamahome said.

"Megyn," Chichiri said calmly. "I won't let you fall, you know?"

Megyn was comforted by his words and muttered, "Whatever." She took a deep breath and took a firm hold on the saddle. She nodded to signal that she was ready.

Marahoop leaped forward and she gasped. Her muscles tensed and her heart pounded violently in her chest. Her dark hair stung her face as it whipped around her head.

No more than three minutes later, it was over. They slowed to a stop and, behind her, Chichiri got off. His warm hands gripped her waist and carefully set her on the hard ground. Slowly, she opened her right eye then her left: All clear.

A tavern stood in front of them. "Food time!" Jamie squealed. She took a deep breath. Wonderful smells of food filled her nostrils. "Smells yummy!" she exclaimed.

Megyn whiffed the air, a little more energized. "Yep! You're right. Let's eat!" she agreed—really, anything to get away from the horses.

* * *

Two men sat drinking at the bar. "Did ya see how much money they had on 'em?" the first said.

The other took a swig of his drink. "You bet I did! And one of 'em was that Suzaku priestess! Let's tell the boss."

"No. If we told the boss, 'e wouldn't let us, but, if we don't, 'e can't stop us."

"You're a genius, man!" He took another swig of his drink.

"Let's get the kid to help us. We'll tell 'im it's an order from the boss." He sipped his drink. "He'll do anythin' the boss says."

* * *

Jamie turned onto her left side. Since she insisted on finding the seishi as quickly as possible, they were usually forced to camp for the night. She was getting used to camping out and starting to like it. It was so peaceful and she got to be near Chichiri. She had only recently discovered her feelings for him. She didn't want to tell anyone—the last thing she wanted to do is screw up his relationship with Megyn.

A small movement caught her eye. Tamahome, who looked like he was sleeping on watch, didn't seem to have noticed. She heard faint voices.

"That one?" said a young man's voice.

"Yeah," said an older man with a deep voice.

"What about the watch?" asked the young man.

"You can take 'im out easy."

Jamie lightly kicked Tamahome who sat at her feet. He looked at her without moving his head. She motioned to the voices. He only nodded and pretended to go back to sleep. _He must have noticed them before._

There. Another movement. A figure moved towards Tamahome. The only thing that stood between the figure and Tamahome was a huge rock with Megyn comfortably sleeping behind it. Suddenly, the figure lurched forward with lightning fast speed. He leapt over the rock only to step on the sleeping Megyn.

"Out of the way, old man," the figure called back. Megyn instantly awoke from her daze.

"Old man?!" she exclaimed, standing up.

Tamahome whirled around to face the oncoming attacker. The figure was a redheaded youth who seemed inhumanly fast. He swung at Tamahome who was barely able to block it.

Jamie felt arms grab hold of her and begin to pull her away. An arm wrapped around her throat. "Hey!" she choked. Instantly, Chichiri was behind her fending off a heavyset man and Megyn a thin oily one.

Megyn threw the oily man at Tamahome. "That punk is mine, Tama," she called. _He's going to get it for calling me an old man_ she thought maliciously. "Hey, you! Wimp!"

The youth turned to her furiously. "What did you call me, old man?" His temper was as fiery as his hair, short and uncontrollable.

Megyn only ignored him. "You're right about one thing," she told him. "I have to be older than you. You act like a two-year-old." His fury grew rapidly, but he held his tongue. "But…" Megyn tugged gently on the purple cord that held her hair in a bun, letting her dark locks fall freely from atop her head. The youth's face showed utter amazement. _He actually believed I was a guy?! Bastard._

The redhead recovered quickly, not missing a beat. "I don't fight with girls," he scoffed, turning away.

Megyn smiled. "Well now. That will make it so much easier, scaredy cat."

"What did you call me?!" he fumed, turning back around.

"You heard me, scaredy cat. You're just afraid of what I could do to you," Megyn teased.

"That does it!" He charged at Megyn with such lightning fast speed that she didn't have time to dodge. He hit her with his full brunt force on her shoulder, which smashed her into a tree. He skidded to a stop and he turned around to smirk at her.

"Now do you see why I don't fight with girls?" the redhead asked her, still smirking.

Megyn had been utterly humiliated. She had had the chance to prove to this pig that she was strong and she blew it. Then an idea popped into her head; it could work. She stood and faced him. "Oh, but that was just a warm-up. Here's where we start the battle." She smirked.

"A warm-up? Oh, I see. You just want another crack at humiliation." He smirked and stood at his ready.

_He'll wipe that smirk off when I smash his sorry face into the ground_ Megyn thought with an inward smile. "Come at me, you damned fool."

The youth smiled and accepted her offer graciously. This time his charge was faster and more determined. She just smiled calmly and concentrated. Slowly, he rose. Just a small amount at first, then several inches.

When Megyn opened her eyes, he was nearly two feet off the ground. She was elated. The most she had been able to lift before was thirty pounds and even that had been a strain. She sweated heavily—lifting over a hundred pounds was no small feat.

"What the hell?!" the bandit boy cursed. He tried to get down and managed only a few inches.

Chichiri noticed how Megyn was struggling to keep him up and offered his assistance. "Do you want me to help?" he asked her, putting his hand on her shoulder gently. Megyn didn't want to accept his help, but she could hardly take the pain anymore. She nodded. Chichiri put his fingers up to his lips. The youth froze, though he could still curse.

Megyn could not bear it any longer. The youth fell to the ground and Tamahome ran to tie him up with some extra rope. Megyn collapsed and lay back against a tree.

"Looks like we got a good haul," Jamie said enthusiastically and motioned to the two other attackers, tied up and unconscious.

* * *

"I'm not telling you guys nothing! The boss wouldn't have it!" the young bandit screamed for the thousandth time.

"We only want to know your name!" Jamie and Megyn screamed back, also for the thousandth time.

They had been trying to get the redhead to talk for an hour. He was loyal to his boss, that was for sure. The other two bandits were still tied up, unconscious, against a tree.

Megyn sighed, exasperated. "Look, kid. All we want to know is your name so we can call you something other than 'kid,'" she told him, trying her best to be diplomatic.

"I'm not gonna tell you, old man," he said, sticking his tongue out.

Megyn's patience and diplomacy had reached the breaking point. "I told you to stop calling me 'old man,'" she yelled at him. Despite her exhaustion, she managed to throw him against a tree. He merely grunted. Then, to Megyn and Jamie's utter disappointment, he smirked.

"That was nothin'," he said. "You can't make me talk like that."

That was it for Jamie. She had had more than enough of this creep. Pulling the dagger from its sheath, she ran at the bandit.

Chichiri jumped into her path and Tamahome grabbed her from behind. "We can't kill him yet, stupid," Tamahome said. Reluctantly, Jamie relaxed and walked back to Megyn.

"He pisses me off," she whispered to Megyn. Megyn nodded vivaciously in agreement.

Both girls examined the bandit. His hair was a fiery red-orange and his eyes a golden brown. He looked scrawny in his black and blue jacket. The look was completed with a pair of dangling earrings, two beaded necklaces, and a fanged smirk. Overall, he wasn't horrible looking. However, Megyn and Jamie didn't take his not-horrible-looking-ness into account; they were too pissed.

Chichiri decided to give his diplomacy a try. "Please," he asked politely. "What is your name, no da?"

The bandit smiled. "The name's Genrou."

Jamie and Megyn's mouths fell to the ground. "How…Why…Huh?" they stuttered.

"All ya had to do was ask nicely," Genrou said with his trademark fanged grin.

"Why you little…" Before Tamahome or Chichiri could stop her, Megyn walked up to Genrou and slapped him across the face. "Over an hour of our time was wasted playing 'Cops and Robbers' and other games with you and your buddies. And all because we didn't ask nicely?! How can you call yourself a man? You are nothing but a horrible brat." With that, Megyn stalked away into the forest.

"I don't think she likes you very much," Tamahome stated.

"I wonder why," Jamie said, sarcastically. She glared accusingly at Genrou. "Could such an innocent person like him be disliked? Of course not." She looked towards where Megyn had disappeared. "Tamahome, go get her." She said it so commandingly and accusingly that Tamahome just stared at her for a few seconds before he replied.

"Why me? Genrou did it," he whined. "Make him find her." He pointed dramatically at Genrou.

"I didn't do anything," the young bandit defended. "I'm not doin' it."

Chichiri sighed. "I'll do it, no da." He slowly walked in the direction that Megyn had stalked away in.

* * *

Megyn slumped behind a tree, clutching her chest with her left hand. _All I want to do is go home_, she thought. _I didn't ask to come here. I don't really want to be here either. I'm doing it for Jamie, the Priestess of Suzaku, and Hotohori and Chichiri and Tamahome and this country. Damn it! Why us?_ She had been away from home for so long. Surprisingly enough, she even missed her younger brother. Even her spoiled brats of cousins would have been a welcome sight.

She gasped in pain. She hated this feeling. It had only started when she arrived in Konan.

"Megyn! Where'd you go, no da?" Chichiri's voice.

Megyn willed the pain away and debated only a moment. She stood and walked around the tree. "I'm right here, Chichiri."

Chichiri stood only a few feet away. "It seems that we have progressed with Genrou, you know. Let's get back." He smiled and gestured in the direction of the camp.

* * *

Jamie turned her head away from the poor excuse of a bandit, only to see Chichiri emerge from the dense forest with Megyn in tow. "Finally back? We got him to talk more!" she beamed. "He's from Mount Reikaku. Apparently, there's a group of bandits there. Those two," she motioned to the other two bandits, "are from there, as well. So, what do we do?"

"What do you think we do, silly?" Tamahome said. "We go to Mount Reikaku." Jamie scowled at him. "We have to return them, after all." He motioned to the three bandits.

"I've been by there once or twice, no da," Chichiri said. "I can get us there faster. Although, it will be more difficult with all of us, no da."

"I know you can do it, Chichiri," Jamie said, enthusiastically.

Chichiri laid his kesa on the ground and told everyone to get on. He and Tamahome grabbed the bandits and threw them on the kesa, as well. Genrou landed at Megyn's feet.

"Oh, look," he said. "It's the old man." The smirk on his face said everything. He was looking for a fight.

"I'll be rid of you soon, thank God. Can we please make the last bit of time we are forced to spend together, mildly pleasant?"

"Sure, old man." The smirk still remained, but Megyn noted the trace of sincerity in his voice.

Chichiri placed his staff on the kesa. For a moment, it glowed and then all occupants began to sink into it.


	6. Part Six: Returning the Lost Boys

**Returning the Lost Boys**

**Part Six**

All six landed safely under a tree at the base of Mount Reikaku. Megyn looked around. There was someone missing, but who was it? Then she heard some curses above her. There was Genrou hanging from a branch high in the tree. The ropes they had tied him up with were the only things keeping him from falling. Megyn snickered when she realized that he was literally "out on a limb."

"Genrou?" Jamie asked. "What the hell are you doing up there? You're slowing me down." Another stream of curses escaped the young bandit's lips.

"You tell 'em, kid!" cheered the other, now conscious, bandits.

Genrou glared at them. "Shut up, fat face. I dun wanna hear ya anymore."

"Hey! Leave us alone," the fat bandit said. "We jus' woke up. 'Least you've been up."

"Yeah," the greasy, skinny one piped in. "M' back 'urts and I've been in the same 'sition fer a long time."

Jamie rolled her eyes. "That's what you get for trying to rob us, you filthy bastards."

"Such strong words fer such a li'l lady," commented the fat one.

Jamie turned away in disgust. "Oh, shut up. We're going to return you back to where you came from. By the way, don't call me 'li'l lady.' It makes me sound like I'm a prostitute in an old western."

"Can I get down first?" Genrou asked, rather impatiently.

"Hold up," Megyn said. She was already on the branch from which Genrou was hanging. The branch was not big enough to hold them both, so she lied down to spread her weight. She pulled the dagger from its sheath at her waist and began slicing through the ropes. "I trust that you won't try to escape once you get down."

"The old man trusts me? When did this happen?" he mocked.

"Look. If you don't want us to beat you up again, I suggest you don't. Although, I wouldn't exactly mind so much." She had nearly finished cutting the ropes.

"The only reason you beat me," Genrou began, "is because that Chichiri guy helped you. You never would have lasted without his help, old man."

Megyn, now infuriated, sliced through the last of the ropes, causing Genrou to plummet to the earth. A loud "thump" was heard when he hit the ground.

"What the hell was that for, stupid?" he asked, standing up. Apparently, he wasn't as injured as she had hoped. "You could've warned me or somethin'."

She stood on the branch and looked down at the bandit. "Warned you? Why would I have warned you?" she asked. "You started it anyway." A loud crack was heard, followed closely by a scream.

It was so surreal. Megyn heard the crack and turned to see the branch dislocate itself from the rest of the tree. She felt herself fall and screamed. Her heart was beating rapidly—falling _was_ one of her greatest fears. Suddenly, the world went black.

* * *

Chichiri turned his head at the sound of Megyn's scream. He looked up at the tree and saw her falling. "MEGYN!" His heart began to beat faster as he rushed under her, pushing Genrou out of the way and readying himself to catch the falling girl.

Things after that seemed to be in slow motion. Megyn landed in Chichiri's arms. Tamahome and Jamie rushed over as he laid her on the ground. Her eyes were opened, but she was still in shock. Jamie repeated Megyn's name over and over. Tamahome held Megyn's hand and was speechless. Chichiri stroked her hair. Genrou sat stunned where he had landed.

"Hey, Megyn!" Jamie said. "If you get up, I'll give you a Tootsie Roll. So, how about it? I know you want a Tootsie Roll. You love them so much." Jamie's face was wet with tears.

"Come on, little sis," Tamahome coaxed, using the nickname that had developed between him and the girls. "You want that roll thing."

"Tootsie Roll," Jamie corrected.

"I'll hold you to that deal, James," Megyn said, sitting up.

Jamie glomped onto Megyn. "You're okay," she cried. "Don't worry me like that ever again. Understand?"

"I'm about as easy to kill as a cockroach, Jamie," Megyn said. "You of all people should know what a klutz I am."

"Silly girl," Tamahome said with a squeeze her hand.

Chichiri looked into her eyes. "I'm so glad you're well, no da." Then, he hugged her and whispered so only she could hear, "I love you."

Megyn's eyes grew wide with surprise and almost fear. She feared for his feelings and Jamie's. It was so obvious to her that Jamie had a crush on Chichiri. She also suspected that, with a little more time together, he would fall for Jamie.

She pushed Chichiri away and masked her face with happiness. "Well, I've wasted too much of our time, so let's push on." She pushed herself off the ground and stood. Taking one step forward, she fell in a crumpled heap.

Tamahome, who was the closest to her, helped her to a sitting position. Genrou, who was finally mobile again, began to examine her right leg.

"Hey! Wait a minute. Genrou, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Megyn protested.

"It's my fault you fell in the firs' place," he explained. "I owe it to ya."

"Do you even know what you're doing?" she asked nervously.

"It's fine, but you should probably stay off it the rest of the day," he said seriously.

"I'll carry her up, no da," Chichiri volunteered.

"Don't worry," Tamahome said, sensing the awkwardness Megyn had towards Chichiri. "I've got her." Tamahome kneeled and indicated that she should climb onto his back. Once she was secure, he turned to Chichiri and said, "You'd better go grab the trash." He pointed to the two bandits. "Hey, Genrou! Since you're untied and all, lead us to the bandit den."

Surprisingly, without an argument, Genrou began walking up the mountain. Megyn and Tamahome followed him with Jamie and Chichiri carrying the "trash" between them bringing up the rear.

"What did he say to you?" Tamahome asked, seriously. His voice was quiet so none of the others would hear.

Megyn replied, in an equally quiet voice, "He thinks he's in love with me." Tamahome looked at her, shocked. "I know he's not, though. He is only infatuated with me."

"Why?"

"It's because I saw him without his mask and told him I thought he was handsome, which he is. I also know things about him that not many others do. I can't understand how that can lead to infatuation."

"I'll take care of him for you. I'll get those thoughts out of his head."

"No," she said quickly. "I think I should handle it. Plus, haven't you noticed? Jamie has a huge crush on him."

* * *

"Why do you protect me, Chichiri?" Jamie asked.

Chichiri looked over at her. He smiled. "Why?" He paused. "I guess it's because you're the priestess and I was born to protect you, no da. It's my duty."

"That's all?" she prompted.

"I guess I want to also, no da."

_He wants to!_ Jamie thought, excitedly. _It's not just because he has to. He wants to!_ She could have died then just knowing that. She stopped herself. _There's Megyn to think about. He really likes her. He's never taken off his mask in front of me. The only reason I know he has a mask is because I watched him and Megyn train._

"Is something wrong, no da?" Chichiri asked.

Jamie looked at him and blushed, realizing a myriad of emotions must have crossed her face. "Nothing's wrong. I was just thinking." She looked at the rising sun. The girl had never seen a sunrise as beautiful as this before. The sky was filled in an explosion of reds, oranges, pinks, and purples. She had seen few sunrises in her life and stared in awe at this one.

"It's beautiful, isn't it, no da?"

She nodded. "Very. I hardly ever pay attention to the sunrises at home; I'm too busy. I'm not usually awake this early either." She yawned as if to punctuate the statement.

"You should rest. We don't want you to be ill, no da."

* * *

"This is it," Genrou proudly announced several minutes later.

The group stood at the entrance to the bandit den. It wasn't as impressive as Jamie had expected it to be. All the fat bandit had been doing was talking about how wonderful it was and how the boss was going to get them for beating up the proud members of the Mount Reikaku bandits with the greasy one agreeing with his every word.

For Megyn, who hadn't been listening to the bandits' conversation, it was more impressive than she had imagined. The image of a bandit den to her was a cave hidden deep in the mountain.

Both girls were wrong. They stood before a small group of buildings similar to those at the palace, but with none of the majesty. All in all, the buildings were quite simple, but well built enough to hold a gang of bandits.

"I'll take you to the boss," Genrou offered. He walked through a set of doors. The rest of the group followed suit.

"Hey! Genrou's back with some captives!" came a slightly slurred yell from one room. Genrou glared at the bandit, but said nothing.

Several catcalls and unconscious bandits later (Tamahome was doing most of the beating—even with Megyn on his back), the group arrived in front of two doors.

"This is where the boss is," Genrou explained.

"He's gonna make ya pay!" said the fat bandit.

"That's right!" the greasy one agreed.

"Oh, shut up!" Jamie said.

The young bandit rolled his eyes and pushed open the two heavy doors to reveal a lavish room. Well, lavish in comparison to the rest of the bandit den. The details were difficult to see as only lanterns lighted the room. However, a man sat on a large pillow on the floor. He had long light brown hair tied back into a low ponytail with a long clump of bangs pushed to the right side of his face and he wore what looked like armor. He motioned them in.

The group walked in with Genrou in the lead. Tamahome set Megyn on the floor, but wrapped his arm around her waist to support her.

"Genrou, what is it?" the man asked.

Genrou sighed and began, "We were caught. We failed."

"Failed?" The man looked confused. "Failed what?"

Genrou looked surprised. "The job ya sent us to do."

The man narrowed his eyes. "I haven't given any of you three a job."

A shocked Genrou turned to the other two bandits. "You." He pointed at the fat one. "You jerks set me up." He turned back to the boss. "They told me you had a job fer the three of us. We were supposed to raid their camp."

"They tricked you?" the boss asked. "Genrou, I had such high expectations for you." He shook his head. "So, they captured you and brought you back here." He paused and turned his attention to the Priestess' group. "I am Hakurou, the leader of the Mount Reikaku bandits. I am so sorry about what these three did. Please forgive them."

"Don't worry," Jamie said. "They didn't cause too much damage. I'm Jamie, this is Chichiri, Tamahome, and my best friend, Megyn." She pointed to each friend in turn. "We are in search of Suzaku's seishi. I am the Priestess of Suzaku."

"Well, Miko-sama," Hakurou began, seriously. "Have no fear. These three shall be punished heavily for their misdeeds." Genrou's face showed surprise and disappointment in himself.

Megyn felt badly that Genrou would be punished for being stupid. "Please, Hakurou. Don't punish Genrou." He looked at her in surprise. "He helped me when I injured my leg. Well, he was the reason I injured my leg in the first place," she added as an afterthought. "But, he really shouldn't be punished for being stupid." She was surprised that Genrou didn't even flinch when she called him 'stupid.'

"I thought you hated him," Jamie said, confused. Hakurou raised an eyebrow.

"I don't hate him," Megyn corrected. "I just have a low tolerance for him. You know, I do have a moral code."

"I see," Hakurou said slowly. "Well, I suppose I can let Genrou go." Genrou looked relieved. "However, Eiken and Sugi, you were the head of this plot. You must be punished." He signaled another bandit. "Take them away. You have my permission to do what you will with them." With that, the two bandits were led away. "Well, you must be exhausted. Genrou, would you please take them to the spare rooms?" It was more a command, than a request.

Genrou turned towards the doors and Jamie and Chichiri followed him. Tamahome picked up Megyn once again and followed them out. He led them through corridor after corridor until they reached the end of a hallway.

"This is your room," Genrou told Chichiri and Tamahome. He pointed to one door. "And this is yours," he told Megyn and Jamie. He pointed to the door across the hall from the guys' room. "If ya need anythin', the boss would be glad ta help." With that, Genrou turned back down the hallway.

* * *

"Hey! Genrou!" called a blue-haired man when Genrou opened the door to his room. The blue-haired man rushed to greet him, but Genrou held up a hand.

"I'm definitely not in the mood, Kouji."

Kouji raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong, buddy?"

"I hate women!" Genrou muttered.


	7. Part Seven: A New Discovery

**

* * *

A New Discovery**

**Part Seven**

"Hey, Chichiri!" Megyn called when she saw him exit the room he shared with Tamahome. "Where are you going?"

Chichiri poked his head in the room. "I just remembered the horses and our supplies, you know. I'm going to get them." Chichiri began walking down the hallway.

"Chichiri, wait!" she pleaded. He poked his head back in the room. "Can I come with you?"

"I would love to have you with me, no da, but, your leg…"

"Oh, it's all better now." She stood. "See. It's fine."

"Well," he began. "If you can walk, I guess you can come, you know."

She cheered. "Thanks, Chichiri!"

"What is she doing?" Genrou asked once Megyn and Chichiri left.

Jamie started to say something, but Tamahome interjected. "She is going to do one of the hardest things in her life."

* * *

"Weren't they over here?" Megyn asked.

"The horses should be further in yet, no da," Chichiri said. He pushed aside a branch and allowed Megyn to pass through.

"You were right, Chichiri. Here they are." She sighed. "After you lead them to the stream, um, can I talk to you?"

"Of course," he said with a smile.

* * *

"I thought I told her to stay off her leg," Genrou said.

"Look," Tamahome said. "Whether she hurts her leg more or not, isn't any of our business."

"How can you say that, Tamahome?" Jamie burst.

"She knows what she's risking and who she's risking it for. She made her choice and we should leave them alone."

Genrou quietly left the room. He strode several doors down the hall until he came to his room. Pushing open the door, he walked in and took an inventory of the sparse room. The first thing he noticed was his bluish-haired friend.

"GENROU!!"

"Hey, Kouji," Genrou said, refusing the arm offered to him. "Can I ask you a favor?" Kouji raised an eyebrow. "Can you meet me at our place and make sure to pack it with drinks? I have a feelin' I'll be needin' it."

"Sure."

Genrou nodded graciously to his friend and left the bandit den to find that stupid woman.

* * *

Megyn led Chichiri to a secluded area under a tree. "I just wanted to say that I like you Chichiri, a lot." Chichiri's unmasked face smiled happily. "However, I don't love you." His smile faded. "I'm sorry."

"But, Megyn," Chichiri began. "I love you."

She shook her head. "No, you don't."

"But, I do," he said sincerely.

"No you don't!" she cried. "You were just infatuated with me because I said you were handsome. You are, but that doesn't mean I love you. You are my teacher and my friend. Nothing more."

Chichiri just stood there, not fully understanding. Maybe he just didn't want to. She hated to do this, but she had to. "GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Megyn screamed. She pointed to the stream where the horses stood drinking.

This shocked him back to reality. He put his mask on and walked to the stream to get the horses. He gathered the three leads in one hand and led them back towards the bandit den.

Once he was out of sight, Megyn fell back against the tree and sobbed. The image of the sadness and the pain in his eyes wouldn't leave her. She couldn't stop herself.

* * *

Chichiri led the three horses solemnly up to the bandit den.

"Chichiri!" he heard Jamie cry. "What's wrong? Where's Megyn? What happened?" She ran up to him.

He lifted his masked face. "Nothing is wrong, no da," he said cheerily. "Megyn just needed some time alone. She'll be back when she's ready, no da."

Jamie nodded in understanding. "I hope she comes back soon."

* * *

Genrou looked at the girl sobbing below him. Her shoulders shook and her cries filled the forest. She looked so different then. It couldn't be the same girl he had met early that morning. She was too vulnerable. She wasn't the same strong, fearless person from before.

Yet, she was. Unbeknownst to Megyn, Genrou sat in a tree above her and to her left. He had seen the whole ordeal. He saw her strengths and weaknesses all in the few minutes he watched her, them, from the tree.

He looked at her again. She reminded him of Reirei. They even looked alike. _If Reirei were alive, they would be about the same age_ he suspected. That was how he decided. He slid out of the tree.

Without looking up, she asked, "You saw the whole thing, didn't you?"

"Yeah," he said, solemnly. "I'm sorry."

Megyn looked up. "Sorry? For what?"

"For calling you an old man," Genrou said. "You're not old." The corners of her mouth twitched. "Was that a smile?" he asked.

"No." She was so stubborn. Did she want to sit there crying all day?

* * *

"Miko-sama?" Hakurou asked. He put his hand on Jamie's shoulder. She turned her head. "May I have a word with you?"

She nodded. "Of course. You have been so kind to us. How could I deny you this simple request?"

"Although I have no right to tell you this, I feel I must," Hakurou began. Jamie studied him closely. "I wish Genrou to accompany you on your journey."

"Why?"

"He is not what you think. He's a seishi. The seishi Tasuki."

* * *

"I thought it was a smile." Genrou reached over to Megyn and began tickling. She squirmed and fought trying to block his fingers.

"Stop!" she squealed. "No!" Her left shoe kicked off. "GENROU!" She kicked his stomach with her bare foot. "Lay OFF!" A familiar feeling crept up her leg. Clumsily, she scrambled for her shoe and stuffed her foot in it. "Genrou, would you just leave me alone?"

"I can't let ya walk when your leg looks like that." Genrou pointed to her ankle. It was swollen and a greenish color that one's ankle shouldn't be. "I'll carry you."

Megyn jumped back. "You absolutely will NOT!"

* * *

Jamie's mouth dropped open. "That stupid idiot? A seishi? You have GOT to be kidding."

* * *

"Don't be stupid," Genrou told Megyn as she attempted to stand.

"I'm not being stupid," she retorted.

"You could at least wait awhile," he said. "I mean, just look at it." He pointed to her ankle. "I told you not to move around in the first place."

"Go to Hell."

"Not before you. Ladies first, you know." He paused. "Wait, you're not a lady, are you? You're just a stupid little girl."

Tempers began to rise. Megyn stood on her good leg with hands on hips, glaring at the young bandit. Genrou crossed his arms across his chest and glared right back.

"Well," he said, "if you don't need me, I'll just be going."

"Fine!" she said. "Be that way!"

He stalked back towards the bandit den.

* * *

Jamie paced in the room she shared with Megyn. _There is no way Megyn will believe this_, she thought. _She is going to flip out_.

Tamahome walked in the room and watched Jamie for a moment. "She's not back yet?"

"Not yet."

"And the idiot?"

"Not him either."

* * *

Genrou looked back again. Megyn was still struggling behind him. To make it seem like he hadn't seen her, he continued to walk towards the bandit den.

After another few minutes of walking, he finally turned completely to say, "Why are ya followin' me?"

Megyn leaned against a tree. "Because, I don't know where to go."

He raised an eyebrow. She admitted weakness. Although he hadn't known her a day, he thought this was out of character for her. "Fine," after a moment of silence, "I'll take ya back, if you aren't a pain in my ass."

"Deal," she gave him a thumbs-up. Suddenly, her face contorted and she collapsed to the ground, clutching her chest with her left hand.

* * *

Tamahome looked in the room.

"They still aren't back yet!" Jamie yelled. "I'll tell you when they're back! Jeez…"

"I'm going after her then! There's no way I'm leaving her with that annoying bastard!"

* * *

Genrou ran to Megyn. "What happened?" He knelt beside her. "What's wrong?" Megyn only continued to gasp and whimper. Her grip on her chest tightened. Finally, her body went limp. Genrou shook her. "Hey!"

This is how Tamahome found them: Genrou shaking Megyn's limp body.

"What are you DOING to her!" Tamahome demanded.

* * *

The young emperor stared out across his land. It had been only a day since the party had left, but it had seemed eternal. What could be happening with them? Is everything all right?

Hotohori bent his head and let out a heavy sigh. "Why was I destined to be an emperor?" he asked himself. "I want only to protect my priestess."

"Your highness."

Hotohori turned to the advisor bowing his head. "Yes."

"There is a boy here who wishes to speak to you. He says that it is quite urgent. We tried to turn him away, but he insisted."

"A boy? Well, I suppose I will hear him."

"He awaits you in the throne room."

The young emperor nodded and made his way through the maze of corridors to the throne room. Attendants pushed open the heavy doors for him. Before him stood a small boy who bowed as he entered the room.

"Your highness," he said.

Hotohori waved off his bow as he sat on the throne. "I hear you wish an urgent council with me. Of what business?"

"I fear, your highness, that our priestess may be in greater danger than we expected. I am unaware of the kind of danger, but we must get to her before it is too late."

The young emperor stiffened. Jamie just couldn't be in danger. Tamahome, Chichiri, and Megyn were with her all the time. Besides, Jamie could handle herself. "Who are you that you know so much?"

The youth bowed. "I am a scholar, but, more importantly, I am Suzaku sichiseishi, Chiriko." As he said this, he lifted his robes slightly and slid his left foot out from under them to reveal proof: the symbol for stretch glowing a bright red.

Hotohori gasped. This was Chiriko: the fourth seishi. This boy, this child had been chosen by Suzaku himself to protect his priestess.

"I am afraid though, your highness, that I may not be of much help."

* * *

Jamie found Chichiri in his room, on the bed, back facing her. She sat on the opposite side of the bed, back facing him. Apparently, this startled him since the bed seemed to jump.

Chichiri gasped slightly, though it really wasn't a gasp. More of a sudden inward sigh.

"You don't have to worry, Chichiri. It's just me," Jamie said softly. "I didn't have anyone to talk to. They've all left to find Megyn."

* * *

Genrou looked up from his crouched position beside Megyn. "I didn't do ANYTHING! She just fell," he defended.

"We have to take her back," Tamahome said urgently. Scooping her up in his arms, he said, "Hurry."

Tasuki pointed to the northeast. "There's a secret place Kouji and I have. It's not too far from here. It's quicker than going back to the stronghold."

* * *

"I just wanted to thank you, Chichiri, for protecting me even though, so far, there hasn't been anything to protect me from, really. So just…thanks." Jamie stood to leave the room, but stirring on the bed caused her to look over her shoulder.

* * *

Genrou kicked at the door. "Oi! Kouji! Open the door!"

"Knock, knock! Who's there?" they heard from the opposite side of the door. Kouji. Kouji who? Genrou's buddy that's who. Oh, well, then come on in. Thank you." The door swung open, revealing Kouji on the other side.

"Go get some blankets or something," Tamahome ordered. Kouji scampered off to follow these orders and Genrou led Tamahome to a room where Megyn could rest. She stirred in Tamahome's arms.

"Hey, guys. Did I fall asleep?" she asked, opening her eyes and looking around.

* * *

At that same instant, Jamie turned around to look at Chichiri. She gasped in pain as two long, black feathers pierced her stomach.

* * *

"Jamie!" Tamahome and Megyn cried in unison.

* * *

Hotohori, Chiriko, and the royal advisors, that very day, discussed Chiriko's prophecy.

"But, sire!" one of the advisors interrupted. "This…this boy… He's only a child. How do we know that his prophecy is true?"

"No one knows whether a prophecy is true, but the object here is to prevent it at all costs," Hotohori said, seriously.

"How do we know he is telling the truth?"

"The symbol of Suzaku on his foot would not allow him to lie."

"It is true," Chiriko said, standing, ready to reveal his symbol to the advisors. "I do indeed possess Suzak—" The boy stopped. A strange tremor ran through him. He looked at his emperor. Hotohori's face mirrored his.

"Jamie!" the emperor cried as he realized what that feeling was. He rushed to the door.

"WAIT!" his advisors called. "We can't have our emperor in danger. There is no heir. Think of the consequences, sire."

Hotohori stopped. "What about the priestess?"

"The consequences, sire."

He sighed. "You are correct. I cannot risk leaving the throne."

"Your highness?" Chiriko said. "If you would allow it, I could take the throne while you were away. I am fully aware of the government's activities and duties as I have been studying extensively for the Kakyo."

"You would do that, Chiriko?" Hotohori asked hopefully.

"Anything for the priestess, your highness."

"Then it is settled! Chiriko will reign in my place until my return. Treat him as you would treat me. Thank you, Chiriko." With that, he ran out the doors to rescue his beloved priestess.


	8. Part Eight: Traitor

**Traitor**

**Part Eight**

Jamie gasped as the feathers punctured her stomach. Her eyes widened in shock. She wasn't sure what was happening.

She heard a malicious cackle and searched for the source, a tall man wearing a strange long, red jacket. His hair was pulled tightly into a high ponytail. One strand of hair separated on either side of his head by a blue and a gold bead. Atop his head sat a golden crown-like headdress.

Jamie could only gasp and stare at her attacker. It was funny, though. It didn't hurt. Not even a little bit. She slumped forward, landing on the bed.

The man cackled. He retracted the black feathers from her stomach. "Should I take her or leave her?" he wondered aloud. "What would Nakago-sama prefer?" He paced the room. "I should probably take her. Then he could dispose of her as he wanted."

After regaining his Chichiri form, he scooped Jamie into his arms and threw her over his shoulder. "Where is that stupid boy?" he muttered.

* * *

Chichiri strolled up the pathway to the bandit den after being unable to find the three horses. Hotohori would not be too happy about that.

Megyn hadn't acted too happy when he told her about his feelings either. She hadn't even said a single word about it. What did she think? Was he too forward? Maybe he should have waited a little longer. It was a little awkward; she was the priestess's best friend after all. What would Jamie think of all this? She would be happy for Megyn, wouldn't she?

"I have to confront Megyn about this, no da," he decided.

* * *

A boy with dark sandy hair crouched on the roof. His eyes washed over the land, hunting for anything that could possibly hurt the mission. He spotted a trio running to the building he sat on. Trying not to draw attention to himself, he slipped discretely through the open window below him.

He looked around for a moment before whispering, "Tomo?"

* * *

"Wait for me!" Megyn cried. Her already swollen ankle was near to abandoning her completely.

Tamahome sprinted to her and threw her over his shoulder. "You're so stupid. I told you to let me and Genrou take care of it."

"But Jamie's my best friend… If she's in trouble, I don't want to let her down." She humphed. "Watch me be the one to save everyone's ass."

* * *

Chichiri walked through the corridors of the bandit den, making his way to Megyn's room. On the way, he noticed Chichiri carrying Jamie. He did a double take, and then noticed Seiryuu ki.

Chichiri shot a mild ki blast at Chichiri-Imposter, making sure he didn't hit Jamie. An angry Chichiri-Imposter turned.

"Jamie!" Real-Chichiri said; she didn't respond. "Jamie!" he said louder. He noticed the blood on Jamie's clothing, and demanded, "What did you do to her!"

* * *

"Hurry!" Genrou called from the gates.

_How did he get there so fast?_ Megyn thought.

Tamahome ran as fast as he could still carrying Megyn. "Lose some weight!" She hit him. "Just kidding, sis…"

The trio hurried through the vast passages. That is, until they came upon an unusual sight: two Chichiris and a bleeding Jamie slung over the shoulder of one. They stopped, trying to make sense of the situation.

"Umm… Which one's which?" Genrou pondered.

"The one nearest us," Megyn said. "The other one's a Seiryuu."

The Chichiri farthest from the trio cackled and morphed into a tall man with long dark hair wearing some sort of bizarre costume. "I will not deny it," he cackled. "I am Seiryuu Seishi Tomo, and this," he motioned to a sandy-haired boy who appeared suddenly next to him, "is Seiryuu Seishi Suboshi, my escort."

"You wish," Suboshi said.

"You know I only like men, not children," Tomo added with a hand on his hip, turning to Suboshi. "And, even if you _were_ a man, I wouldn't sleep with you, you aren't my type." He flipped a stray bit of hair over his shoulder.

"What are you doing with Jamie?" Tamahome managed to spurt out in his confusion.

"Taking her with us," Suboshi said. He turned to Tomo. "Right?"

"Yes, you stupid boy," Tomo said.

"Why take her?" Megyn asked, after being set on the ground by Tamahome. "Can't you see she's close to death anyway? There's no point in bringing a dead girl to you emperor. I'm from the other world, too. Take me. I want to be the Priestess of Seiryuu."

All conscious stared dumbly at her. No one could believe what she had said, most of all Chichiri; he just wouldn't believe it.

"You have to be joking, right?" he asked, forcing a laugh. "You are Jamie's best friend, no da. You can't do this to her."

"I am completely serious, Chichiri," she said evenly, staring at him coldly. "Let's go, Tomo and Suboshi." She stepped away from her old friends and to her new allies. "And, please," she wrinkled her nose, "leave the girl. I don't want to go to Kutou with a dead brat."

Obeying her orders, Tomo dropped Jamie to the ground. "Goodbye, Suzaku Seishi. I hope our paths never cross because then, I won't let you survive." She let Tomo and Suboshi lead her to the nearest exit.

Infuriated, Genrou ran after them. He grabbed Megyn's shoulder and spun her around. "What the Hell do you think yer doin'! Jamie's yer friend! And what about Tamahome and Chichiri?" he screamed at her. She stared calmly at him, eyes pleading for him to understand, but Genrou was in too much of a rage.

Tomo noticed his newfound priestess was being harassed, and let one of his long, black feathers fly into Genrou's shoulder. "Let her go."

"Thank you, Tomo," Megyn said. "I don't like being touched by dirty things." She turned away from Genrou, and walked towards the horse Suboshi offered her. She saddled hesitantly and let Suboshi behind her. Tomo and Suboshi and Megyn galloped away towards the safety in Kutou.

"TRAITOR!" she heard Genrou yell at her.

Megyn cringed slightly. She hadn't wanted to make enemies out of her friends, but it was the only way to save Jamie. Oh, the irony of it all.

She chuckled lightly.

"What is it, Miko-sama?" Suboshi asked from behind her.

"Call me Megyn, please. I was just thinking about how stupid those Suzaku seishi are. I had to tell them that I was meant to be the Priestess of Seiryuu." She chuckled again for good measure.

"I agree completely…Megyn."

* * *

Genrou fell to one knee using one hand for balance; the other gripped his wound. "TRAITOR!" he screamed as the Seiryuus rode off.

Tamahome ran out. "The bastards took her." He looked after them. "How could she do this?" His hands became fists as he turned to the nearest column and punched it. The force splintered it. Tamahome looked at his bloodied knuckles. "Better get inside," Tamahome said offhandedly. "Don't want that to get infected." He referred, of course, to the lovely wound on Genrou's shoulder.

Genrou nodded and walked slowly to the door. "Better get inside. Don't want that gettin' infected."

Tamahome smiled a bit and followed him inside.

* * *

Chichiri blinked several times. He couldn't believe what had just come to pass. _How? Why?_ He blinked several more times.

_Why did it have to happen again?_ He never imagined Megyn betraying him. _It isn't possible. It can't be._

He fingered his scar briefly. _Why?_

* * *

Hakurou shook his head. _How could my sentries have let them in?_

He had convinced the concerned seishi to let him have his doctor bandage Jamie personally, since he believed it was his fault the Seiryuu had got in. He had just finished. The bleeding was slowed, but the bandit doctor admitted to fearing the worst for the young priestess.

There was only one way, wasn't there? They would have to go to see that healer. It was said that he could heal everything but death, so they would have to go quickly.

_Maybe, I…_ he thought then shook his head. Jamie was priority over himself.

* * *

Back at the palace, Chiriko had finally begun to gain a little respect from the counselors by having them quiz him. Not once were they able to stump the young boy. Sufficiently exhausted, the counselors left Chiriko to himself.

As soon as they left, he brought his left foot up to rest on his right knee. His brows furrowed as he massaged the glowing symbol on the top of his left foot.

"What could this mean?" he muttered.

* * *

Hotohori swerved through the trees at a menacing speed. He had to save Jamie. If he didn't, what would he do? Jamie is supposed to be the one he loves, the one he is supposed to protect with his life. What if she died? What if he wasn't there? What if he could do nothing?

He pushed those thoughts out of his mind and concentrated on getting to Mount Reikaku. Jamie would live. He knew that she would.

* * *

In a not so distant village, a young woman with flowing blonde hair thrashed in her bed. An old man pressed a cool, damp cloth onto her forehead and preyed the doctor would return soon.

The young woman screamed for her lover.

* * *

A blond man stood at the window, contemplating life. Well, not life, really. More the ceasing of someone's life. It didn't matter either way.

His blue eyes settled on a bench in the garden where a woman sat. She had long burgundy hair that was twisted into a circle above her head. She had a figure women wanted and men wanted to touch. Most men would kill, literally, to sleep with this woman.

But not our blond-haired, blue-eyed gentleman. Oh, no. This woman was his. She wanted him, and him alone. She had lusted after him for years, and when he finally allowed her to sleep with him, he found he got a great deal more out of it than he thought. No, not pleasure, but power. The power he gained from this woman was incredible. Her knowledge coupled with her deep feelings for him produced astronomical power.

That's what he needed, too. Power. His plan wouldn't succeed if he hadn't enough of her driving power.

* * *

Jamie blinked to life. She saw a blurry Hakurou and Tamahome leaning over her.

"What's up?" she managed.

"We're going to take you to a doctor," said Tamahome-blur.

"We are waiting for Genrou to come back with the horses," said Hakurou-blur. "He should be here any second now."

"Where's Megyn?" she asked.

Hakurou-blur and Tamahome-blur looked at each other. "It would be better if you got some rest," Hakurou-blur replied, cautiously, as if examining each word.

"We'll take care of everything," Tamahome-blur said quietly.


	9. Part Nine: Priestess of Seiryuu

**

* * *

Priestess of Seiryuu**

**Part Nine**

Finally, after way too long on that horse, Megyn arrived in Kutou.

Megyn shakily dismounted with Suboshi's. She stared at the palace, dressed ornately in blues. She noted the similarities between the Kutou and Konan palaces; only the colors seemed different.

"Tomo. Suboshi," said a calm baritone, walking towards them.

The man was tall and had blonde hair, a rarity since Megyn had arrived. He wore silvery armor, which seemed unscratched, and what looked like a green claw as his left shoulder guard; a deep blue cloak wrapped around his broad shoulders. As he moved closer, Megyn realized exactly how much taller he was than her; almost a foot! He scared and intimidated her. Tomo and Suboshi were easy to fool, she wondered if she would be able to pull off her act with this man.

"Who is this girl?"

"She says she is the Priestess of Seiryuu, Nakago-sama," Tomo answered.

"Is that so?" He faced Megyn.

Megyn inadvertently shrunk back under his gaze. "Yes, sir," she said softly. "The Priestess of Suzaku and I were brought here together. What other purpose could I serve than to be the Priestess of Seiryuu?" She looked up to hold his gaze for a few seconds.

He broke her gaze as he knelt before her. "Forgive my rudeness. I am Seiryuu seishi, Nakago, and the general of Kutou's forces." Standing, he said, "I must take you to meet the emperor. He will be greatly pleased." He turned to Tomo and Suboshi. "I will speak with you when I am finished."

"Yes, Nakago-sama," both replied with a bow.

"Come with me, Miko-sama."

Megyn nodded and followed Nakago into the palace.

* * *

Hotohori neared a cluster of buildings he assumed were those of the Mount Reikaku bandits. As his horse skidded to a stop, he leapt off and ran to the nearest building.

Stopping the first bandit he saw, he asked, "Where is your leader? I must speak with him at once!"

The redheaded bandit eyed him suspiciously, but offered to lead him there nonetheless. He tugged at the three horses he led and Hotohori followed.

Soon, the bandit tied the horses to a railing and said, "In here." Hotohori, once again, followed the bandit.

They stopped at the entrance to a small room. The bandit entered first to say, "Hakurou, this guy needs to talk to you. He says it's important."

"Let him in," said another voice, one that Hotohori could only assume was the leader, Hakurou.

The bandit waved him in.

Upon entering, Hotohori saw Tamahome and Chichiri kneeling with their backs to him. "Tamahome! Chichiri!" he exclaimed. As they turned in response to their names, they revealed to Hotohori what they were kneeling next to. "JAMIE!" he cried, rushing over to her side. He gasped at her bandaged stomach and, for a moment, was utterly speechless. "What happened!" he demanded, recovering from his stupor.

Jamie smiled up at him. "The dagger wasn't much help, Hotohori. Sorry."

He gaped at her and again demanded, "What happened!"

* * *

Megyn remained bowed to the Kutou emperor throughout Nakago's explanation. He was nothing like Hotohori. He was old and really unattractive. He spoke to her like an object and looked at her like a piece of meat. She did all she could to avoid cringing or sticking up her nose in disgust.

"Very good, Nakago!" he said, eyeing Megyn.

Nakago did not answer.

"Now we can combat the Suzaku priestess easily."

"She's dead," Megyn said. "Tomo killed her and we left her body in Konan."

Nakago remained stone-faced and the emperor replied with a simple, "Ah."

All was silent for a moment, until the emperor said, "Then, I suppose we just need to complete our seishi, so we can summon Seiryuu.

"Now I have other business to attend to. Nakago, take the Priestess to her room." The emperor clapped twice and a soldier appeared in front of him.

"Come, Miko-sama," Nakago said.

Megyn followed him out of the throne room and to another building.

"This building is for the seishi and priestess," he explained as they neared the building. "This is my room." He pointed to a door. "Never enter without my permission. This is Tomo's room." He pointed to the door next to his and then the one next to that. "This is Suboshi's room, and the next one will be yours. Next to you is Amiboshi, Suboshi's brother and another seishi."

"Why did you leave one room open between them?" Megyn asked.

"They were near the middle of the line of rooms. The emperor insisted there be seishi surrounding the priestess." He held open the door to her room. "You must be tired. Go sleep. I will send someone to wake you for the evening meal."

Megyn nodded and strode into the room. "Thank you," she said before Nakago shut the door. Without bothering to look around the room, she curled up in the bed and fell asleep.

* * *

Genrou waved a farewell to Hakurou and Kouji as he and Hotohori, Chichiri, Jamie, and Tamahome left for Choko to find the healer.

Jamie had not taken the news of Megyn's betrayal well. She had first tried to mutilate Tamahome, who recounted the events of the last few hours, and then she screamed for about a half-hour about how untrue it was. Now she had resigned herself to sobbing against Tamahome, who sat in front of her on the horse.

Before that drama, Jamie told everyone that Genrou was the seishi Tasuki. They also found out that there was another seishi in the capital running Konan. Only two seishi left.

* * *

Chiriko sat on the throne and clutched his chest. He was breathing heavily; the pain enveloped his heart.

Several minutes later, the pain had dissipated to a tolerable level. He sighed. He thought of a reason for the pain. It would have been easy to discover a reason for an older man with this pain, but not for a thirteen-year-old. It would be impossible for a boy his age to get these same pains, wouldn't it?

Unable to think of a reason, he left the throne room for the library. Maybe there would be something there that could explain these pains he had been getting lately.

* * *

It was nearly sunset when Nakago knocked sharply on the door to the Priestess's bedchambers. This girl was going to help him, though she did not know it. He would finally get revenge on that bastard emperor.

Noting the lack of an answer from the room, Nakago slipped inside. "Miko-sama," he said, kneeling.

The girl stirred slightly in her bed, then sat up. She yawned, but covered it with the back of her hand. She looked at Nakago sleepily, her eyes half closed.

"It is time to prepare for the evening meal. The emperor has had a banquet prepared in celebration of your arrival."

She looked at him, the information sinking in. Then she rubbed her eyes and stretched. "All right, then," she said, a sleepy edge to her voice. She jumped off the bed, but tripped on the sheets and went crashing to the floor. Peeling herself off the floor, she groaned and muttered, "Oww…"

"Are you hurt, Miko-sama?" Nakago asked, unemotionally. He really had no doubt that the girl was uninjured; he only asked out of formality. He had rapt faith in the abilities of this girl. From what Tomo and Suboshi reported, this girl was most certainly not from this world. By her comments and the bits of foreign clothing she wore, there could be no question.

"Nope," the girl said, cheerily. "I'm rather prone to being a klutz." She stood at her full height. "It's kinda embarrassing."

As she stood, Nakago became aware of her clothing. She wore simple dark pants, a light shirt, and a dark tunic. She was covered in dirt and there were leaves in her hair, which was an unshapely mess. Parts of her tunic and pants had torn. Besides that, she smelled appalling.

"Miko-sama," he began, "you cannot go to the banquet in that state. You must cleanse yourself in the baths. I will show you there and have your robes brought to you." He stood and led her to the baths.

* * *

Now, Megyn was comfortable enough with nudity, just not her own. She had been to traditional baths before, but still wished for an American bath like she was used to.

She sunk low in the water, uncomfortable because of the watchful eyes of her attendants. She relaxed against a large boulder in the center of the bath.

Before bathing, a doctor was called to treat her ankle. He bandaged it tightly and, while his attention was elsewhere, she stole some spare bandages. With the stolen bandages, Megyn wrapped both feet. Not only comfortable, but rather functional. The warm water soothed her sore ankle.

_I hope they don't hate me_, she thought. _I was only trying to help. Poor Chichiri! I was so mean! I want him, and all of them, to forgive me when I get back. I will make it back soon. I promise. Please, Suzaku_, she prayed, _let me be able to keep that promise._

Footsteps approaching were the sign that her bath had to end.

"Miko-sama," said one of the attendants, "the emperor wishes for your presence as quickly as possible. We must dress you now."

Megyn sighed and scuttled to the edge of the bath. The attendants, waiting for her to exit the bath, held a large light blue sheet of cloth, presumably a robe. She hurried out of the bath, covering herself as much as she could, and let the attendants wrap the cloth around her. The cloth made Megyn feel a great deal more comfortable. The attendants took her to a small room off the bath. Then they began to undress her.

"Hey!" Megyn squeaked. "Wait a minute! What are you doing!"

The attendants jumped back in surprise. "We just wanted to dress you, Miko-sama," one said, her voice shaky.

"Well, I can dress myself, thank you."

"Forgive us, Miko-sama."

"Forgive you? Why would I forgive you?"

"We are sorry that we have angered you," another said.

"Angered me? You haven't angered me. You haven't done anything wrong."

"Then you won't tell Nakago-sama or His Highness?" said the youngest girl there. She was slightly younger than Megyn, about Chuei's age. Another attendant shushed her.

"Don't worry," Megyn giggled. "I'm not telling either of them anything. They scare me, too." She winked then waved them out of the room. They left, all too happily.

She quickly checked the spot by the vanity where she had stashed the dagger Hotohori had given her. She was relieved to find it exactly where she had left it.

Megyn walked to the chair where someone had lain out new clothes for her. They were all in blues with splashes of lavender and frills of some sheer material. _How pretty_, she thought. She picked the first piece up to examine it further.

"What the Hell is _this_!"

* * *

Chiriko's pain had nearly disappeared. He was in the palace's massive library. He was still unable to find any sort of hint to what the pain could be.

He sighed and wandered into the chambers assigned to him. He turned to one of the guards and asked him to bring the physician.

The doctor arrived within the minute. He bowed before the acting emperor.

"How many years have you lived?" the doctor asked, standing up to examine Chiriko.

"Not much more than thirteen years."

"Then, Acting Emperor, what is the problem?"

"I've been having these pains in my chest," Chiriko said.

"Describe the pains," said the doctor, pulling off Chiriko's robes.

"It feels like someone is," he paused to think of an appropriate word. "Like someone is trying to pull my heart out of my body, but it only occurs occasionally."

Apparently, the doctor had finished his exam of Chiriko. "Acting Emperor, you seem to be as healthy as one your age is expected to be. I cannot think of a suitable diagnosis."

* * *

Megyn stormed out of the room, clutching a robe around her body, and barked orders at the attendants to find Nakago immediately. They hurried out of the bathing area.

A moment later, Nakago strode into the room. "Are you ready for the banquet, Miko-sama?"

Megyn looked at him as if he were mad. "What, may I ask, is _this_?" She opened her robe. She wore a blue shirt that exposed her stomach and tied in the front with a lavender-tinted, sheer bow and V-necked to show off her breasts. The shirt also sported blue-tinted, sheer sleeves. To cover below her waist was a white fabric, tied on with a simple, blue cord. Up either side of the fabric was a slit that stopped about three-fourths up her thigh.

"Those are your priestess robes," Nakago replied, coolly.

"I can't go anywhere like _this_!"

"The emperor insisted you be dressed in your formal robes for the banquet."

If it was, in fact, an order from the emperor, Megyn could not refuse. She hung her head in defeat and took off the protective robe. "All right."

* * *

They were nearing a village, which they assumed was Choko.

Jamie had eventually fallen asleep on Tamahome who was relieved. He nudged her shoulder to wake her up.

"Oye!" Tasuki said. "Stop mopin'. She's gone. One of those Seiryuu bastards. She was jus' playin' you. Get over it."

He was greeted by four cold glares from his companions.

"She's not lost to us, no da," Chichiri said, quietly. "She will come back."

"Yeah," Tasuki agreed. "To kill us."

"You have only known her for less than a day," Hotohori said. "You know nothing about her."

"I know what I need to. She's a fuckin' traitor and she will only try to kill us."

"You really don't know anything," Tamahome cut in. "She would never try to kill Jamie or any of us. Well, maybe you, but that wouldn't be a loss, would it?" He glared pointedly at Tasuki.

"Bastard."

"If she really is on their side now," Jamie said, quietly, "she is going to try to summon Seiryuu before we can summon Suzaku. She's very competitive. That means we _have_ to beat her, if we want to summon Suzaku."

"See. Even she knows that damn girl is a lost cause."

"I _never_ said that. I would _never_ say that about my best friend."

A pained scream broke the silence as they entered the city gates.


	10. Part Ten: Low Tolerance

**Low Tolerance**

**Part Ten**

Another scream broke through the serenity of the evening.

Hotohori was already off his horse, rushing to the house from where the screaming came. The rest of the group followed quickly behind, though Tasuki paused a moment before rushing after his companions.

Hotohori threw open the door. "What is this screaming about?"

All occupants of the small, one-roomed house turned at his cry. A young woman lay on a bed. She was very beautiful, despite being drenched in her own sweat. Her blonde hair was matted to her head and her eyes were clenched in pain. Jamie thought she must be in her early twenties at most.

"What is the meaning of this?" cried the aged man kneeling next to the woman. "You have no right to come into a quarantined area, yelling and disturbing her."

Hotohori was taken aback, never before had a villager snapped at him. "How dare—"

Jamie had kneeled beside the woman's bedside. "Shush, Hotohori. Be quieter." Hotohori narrowed his eyes at her.

Tamahome took this silence as an opportunity. "We need to see the doctor. Jamie's been injured and—"

"And I'm much better now," Jamie interrupted. "In any case, the doctor needs to treat this woman first."

The woman flew into a fit of spasms and cried out, "Ju-an!" She fell limp a moment later.

"Unfortunately," said the older woman, "the doctor is away treating others. He may return soon, though it could be tomorrow or a week from now." This woman had salt-and-pepper hair, the only hint of her youth left; her eyes showed the wear of old age and her body seemed weak as well.

Jamie leaned forward a bit, but winced from the change. "If you don't mind me asking," she said quietly, "who is Ju-an?"

"Myo Ju-an is the doctor you seek," said the man.

"Shouka's been calling for him since she came down with the Shikonki." The woman looked down sadly at Shouka. "If, of course, you understand my meaning."

Jamie nodded, a slight grin formed on her face.

"I just—" The woman held her hand over her mouth and took a deep breath. "I just don't think she'll live to see him again." She turned to bury her head in her husband's shoulder.

* * *

Just because she submitted to wearing the awful robes, didn't mean Megyn liked them. In fact, she silently fumed at Nakago and the Emperor for humiliating her. She knew the only reason she was even wearing the costume was because she was scared to death of both of them.

As Nakago led her into the dining hall, Megyn immediately covered her midriff with her arms. There could be no less than a hundred guests sitting at the long tables.

She stood at the opposite end of the hall at the head table. The table was lined with seven chairs all facing outward to observe the other tables. The Emperor sat in the middlemost chair, three flanking either side of him. He was seemingly enjoying himself. He chatted with a young serving girl. She seemed to be playing along with the Emperor; it could be told at a distance. She giggled and hid her face in her hands, presumably to Megyn to hide the cringe, when the Emperor massaged her backside.

She saw Tomo and Suboshi sitting at the head table, each as far as possible from the emperor. Tomo sat next to a voluptuous, burgundy-haired woman. They seemed to be in a heated discussion (or a nasty, tongue-lashing, argument, whichever you prefer), so she didn't want to disrupt them. Suboshi sat by himself at the far right-hand side of the table. He looked lonely, stirring his drink silently.

As she tried to go to him, Nakago grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back against him. "Wait." She complied, but felt very uncomfortable being close to one of the men she feared most.

The serving girl excused herself, but the Emperor pulled her back and whispered something in her ear. She giggled again, but as she left, her face turned ashen.

The Emperor looked up and spotted Megyn and Nakago at the end of the hall. "Ah," he said loudly. "Finally, our Priestess has arrived."

* * *

The pain hadn't returned, so Chiriko brushed it off as a phase even though he had had these pains for several weeks.

Though he had only been Acting Emperor for less than a day, the job was already taking its toll. If there was a job more boring than acting emperor, he could not think of one.

There was a light knock at the throne room doors. He nodded his approval and the guards opened the door.

A young girl walked in, head bowed. Her head remained lowered as she knelt before the throne. Her hair was so blonde it was almost yellow. "Your evening meal has been prepared, Acting Emperor," she said. Her voice was sweet and soft, _like a lullaby_, Chiriko thought. "Would you prefer to dine in your chamber or in the dining hall?" she continued.

"Um," Chiriko said, rather at a loss for words. "The dining hall is fine."

The girl gave a small nod. "If you will follow me." She led him out of the room into the hallway. Her head remained bowed.

* * *

Jamie looked up from the dinner plate. She had been thinking for a long time. "Since I'm Priestess of Suzaku, Suzaku will protect me, right?" she asked Chichiri.

"Well, yes, no da. You are the key to summoning him and saving Konan."

"So even if I'm on the brink of death," she continued, "He wouldn't let me die?"

"Well, that's a difficult question to answer, no da…"

"And since I'm the Priestess, I must have some sort of power or ability, right?"

"I suppose you must have some special quality to be chosen as Priestess…"

"Thanks, Chichiri." She ran to Shouka's house.

* * *

Nakago pushed Megyn forward, his grip on her shoulder firm. "Put your arms down," he ordered quietly. She did as told.

"My, my, my, Miko-sama," the Emperor cooed. "Aren't you beautiful this evening?" He grasped her hand in his and brought it to his lips. His beard scratched her skin and she nearly shrieked when his tongue nudged her skin; she bit her lip and tears threatened to spring from her eyes. Nakago's grip on her shoulder tightened.

She managed, barely, to force a smile. "Thank you, Your Highness."

"Please, sit." He motioned to the seats on either side of him. Nakago helped Megyn sit to the Emperor's left and he sat to the right, next to the burgundy-haired woman.

Megyn tried to inconspicuously wipe the back of her hand on her robes.

"Let the feast begin," the Emperor announced.

* * *

Jamie knelt before Shouka. "Shouka?" She poked the still woman.

Shouka stirred. "Ju-an?" she asked before opening her eyes.

"No, I'm sorry, but I'm going to help you see him again, okay?"

Feebly, she nodded.

Jamie put her hand on Shouka's forehead and prayed to Suzaku. "So you can see the one _you_ love most," she whispered.

Shouka's forehead cooled slightly.

_Suzaku_, she prayed fervently, _I will go through whatever task to complete my duties as your priestess, if you save this woman. She needs to live to see the man she loves. You're the one that represents love or something, right? You have to do this for me. Please. I swear my never-ending loyalty to you._

Shouka's forehead cooled dramatically and Jamie smiled before collapsing.

* * *

Chichiri dwelled upon his earlier conversation with Jamie. He had originally thought of it as a natural curiosity and had ignored it.

But no matter what the topic, his mind kept reliving that thirty-second exchange.

_Why is it so important?_ he wondered. _ She has every right to be curious._ _But, why did she rush out of here?_

A woman's cry jerked everyone's attention to the neighboring house. Even Tasuki stood alert.

"Shouka!" wailed Koushi, the older woman, clutching her face.

All five occupants hurried next door, an unknown fear coursing through the three seishi.

* * *

Chiriko followed the pretty blonde girl to the dining hall. Never had he seen hair so beautiful. "Um. What is your name?"

The girl responded without turning. "I've been given the name Ryuujin, Acting Emperor." Her voice was quiet and soothing, much like Chiriko's mother's.

He frowned at her name; it meant "dragon god." "You can call me Chiriko, if you want." He would ignore the meaning for now.

At this she spun around in shock and looked up at him (she was an inch or two shorter than he). She had the most beautiful blue-gray eyes with a hint of green. "I could never do that! You are the Acting Emperor and should be treated with the same respect and conduct as the real Emperor." Her voice had grown slightly louder, but not so much to be a shout.

"I insist. I would rather not order you to do so."

"If I must," she said as quietly as before.

* * *

Megyn sat quietly in the seat to the left of the Emperor. She wanted to cry. The Emperor of Kutou had _licked_ her.

Suboshi sat two seats to her left stirring his drink.

A plate of food was set before her. The food smelled delicious, but she didn't recognize most of it. It didn't matter, though; she felt like she hadn't eaten in months.

"First, a toast!" announced the Emperor, rising to his feet.

Megyn nearly groaned. _Why did he have to call for a toast _after_ I got my food?_

"Let us celebrate," the Emperor began, "the arrival of our Priestess of Seiryuu! She will save our country. To Seiryuu!"

"To Seiryuu!" the crowd repeated.

"Now, enjoy the meal!"

Everyone sat down and dug into their food.

Megyn picked up what looked like a dumpling and took a rather large bite. The piece of food lodged itself halfway in her throat. Nonetheless, she tried several times to swallow the chunk, but it refused to budge. Then she tried to move it back into her mouth, so she could chew it; that also failed. She placed her left hand over her chest and tried to breathe.

Suboshi noticed something wrong with his Priestess. He moved into the seat adjacent to her. "Are you alright?" he asked, quietly.

Megyn looked at him with tears in her eyes and shook her head.

"Here." He slid his drink into her hand.

She nodded and took a swig of the cool liquid, not caring what it was. The liquid pushed the hunk of food down her throat until the food was in her stomach.

She moved her hand to her forehead and took a deep breath. "Thank you, Suboshi."

"Oh, I'm Amiboshi, Suboshi's brother. But please call me Koutoku. Really, I prefer it."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I remember now that Nakago mentioned Suboshi had a brother. He didn't say that you were twins. At least I don't think he did."

"Don't worry. We get mixed up all the time." He smiled.

"I have some friends at home who are twins, but none are identical, like you and Suboshi." She counted on her fingers. "Mark and Jeff, Helle and Leili, the Kimmies, Westies, and some others. Probably ten sets total."

His eyes grew wide. "There are that many twins where you live?"

Megyn nodded. "Yes. Aren't there that many here?"

"No. There may be two other sets of twins in this whole country, at most."

"Where is Suboshi, anyway?"

* * *

"Ya stupid girl!" Tasuki paced the room. "What the Hell were ya thinkin'?"

Jamie now replaced Shouka on the small bed.

"I'm so sorry," Shouka said quietly. "I had no idea you were going to do _this_, Miko-sama. I never would have let you otherwise." She was kneeling at Jamie's bedside.

"Jamie," Hotohori said, "you are still injured. It was an unwise decision, even if your intentions were in Miss Shouka's best interest."

"Yeah. Yer the one who's supposed ta save us. If ya die now, there wasn't no point in savin' 'er life. She'd die soon enough anyway."

"Tasuki!" Jamie gasped.

Chichiri, who sat cross-legged on the floor, used his staff to hit the back of Tasuki's knees, causing him to fall; then hit him over the head with said staff.

"Hey! What the FUCK was that for!"

"Behave yourself, Tasuki," the monk replied.

"He's right, though." Everyone stared, gaping, at Shouka. "I'm insignificant. You should _not_ sacrifice yourself for me."

Jamie, who had been forcing consciousness on herself, spoke hoarsely. "Your healer will be here soon. I'm sure of it." She coughed. "Until then, I'll be fine." Her battle with unconsciousness was lost and her eyes closed.

"It's my fault," Shouka sobbed. _Ju-an, please come home soon!_

­­

* * *

Suboshi hurried back to the dining hall.

"Oh. Here he is," he heard his brother say.

"Here, Miko-sama," he said, setting a glass of liquid before her.

"Remember, Suboshi?" Megyn said. "Just call me Megyn."

"Oh, sorry," he mumbled, sitting in his seat, which Amiboshi had recently moved from.

"Don't worry about it." She giggled. "What is this stuff, anyway?" She sipped the liquid.

"It's the finest drink in the world."

"It's good," she replied with a grin. She took another sip.

* * *

Chiriko ate his dinner quickly and in silence.

Soon afterward, he retired to his room for the night.

He now lay in bed; his thoughts on Ryuujin.

Why, he thought, is a girl with a name that means "dragon god" working at the Konan palace? It's strange. Maybe she is a refugee, one who fled from Kutou. I could not blame her if that was the case. I'll need to learn more about her…just in case.

* * *

Jamie floated in a dark, misty forest. She looked around. All she could see were dark, old trees that hid the sky. Or was there sky? She couldn't remember.

She glided down a path. The path was not wide, nor well trodden. Roots stuck up randomly and she could barely see the cart tracks in the dirt. This path had not been used in a very long time.

Without warning, a crossroads appeared. There were three paths: one to the right, to the left, and one that went straight. The path to the left smelled of her mother's freshly baked oatmeal raisin cookies; the right had the rank smell of the football locker room after a particularly sweaty game. Then there was the path that went straight. It smelled of, well, nothing she could put her finger on. It just smelled like home, her family's smell.

Jamie was thoroughly and utterly confused. Was this some kind of test? She wanted to follow the smell of the cookies, but she knew that if this was a test, that would most certainly be the wrong choice.

She sat at the center of the crossroads to decide.

* * *

Megyn downed her fifth glass of the liquid.

"Don't you think you've had enough?" Amiboshi asked, feebly trying to keep the drink from his brother and priestess.

Megyn and Suboshi glared at him. Their faces were red and their eyes half closed.

"I dun shink sho," Suboshi slurred.

"Can I haff anubber grash?" Megyn asked.

A serving girl hurriedly poured her another glass.

"Anyway," she continued, "everyone came in an' den dere was dish girl, ba it wushint a girl, it wush a boy, an' ya know what wush da funny par'?" She paused for a moment. "It wush a Shuzashu sheishi! I'm da on'y one w'o knows 'bout 'im." She beamed, obviously proud and excited that she had such information.

Suboshi giggled while Amiboshi looked on worriedly.

Nakago walked over to kneel by Megyn's chair. "Which seishi was it?" he asked as if talking to a child, though he still sounded cold.

Megyn's brows furrowed and her eyes scrunched up. "I dun 'member. It wush…uh…" She traced the "willow" character on the tabletop. "It wush N'riko!" She grinned up at him drunkenly as if looking for approval or a reward for a job well done.

Nakago smirked. He put his hand on her head for a moment after he stood, as if patting it. "Very good."


	11. VERY IMPORTANT! VOTE FOR PAIRINGS!

**ALERT!!**

I'm not sure what to do about romance concerning _Reborn_.  Therefore, I am polling all my readers on what couples there should be.  I will accept any type of couple, no matter how obscure.  I've set up almost every relationship I could think of, so whichever couples get the most votes will get into the story.  Please vote on your favorites!  Thank you!


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